Second Chance
by PoliteShark
Summary: After failing before, he's back again to kill colossus and save her. But the colossus are a lot different now and the people are too. Wander has always been independent, but can he rely on only himself to kill the sheer number of colossus? Or must he rely on the people who have the same intentions; to kill titans. Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Avos slammed himself into the tree trunk. Leaves tumbled down over his pale face and he grabbed his horns, pulling in a fit of rage. His name, his being had been explained to him in a matter of minutes. He screamed into the stale air and his head pounded with the information he was given. It couldn't be real, it wasn't. How could this all happen, who was he? The demon, whose soul was partially trapped in him was drawling about how to put an end to all this. He could fix this.

"Just-just shut up!" Avos whispered into the bark of the tree. The voice stopped. It was loud and powerful, but seemed to listen to him. He was never named before. The woman who raised him, she really was his fiancé. She was dead and the demon that was residing in Avos right now brought her back to life.

"Why did you do it?" The voice was quiet, "Why did you bring her back to life for me?" Avos pressed and the voice echoed gently to him.

"Thy answers are sought in the temple." Avos turned around and saw the beautiful temple and he glared.

"How can I trust you?" he asked aloud and hid when a flash of white brushed the top of the temple. It was _her, _his supposed 'love.' The voice was silent again. Avos sighed, what was he supposed to do? As long as he stood here, he would question himself to death. Hesitating for a brief moment, he climbed the large tree and spotted a fruit. This would make him look rather casual when he entered the temple.

The teenager walked into the massive stone building. He walked up the stairs, past the altar. There was a stirring in his memory. He placed a hand on the altar and stared for a minute. Thoughts soared through his head, fuzzy patches of memories grinding in and out of his head. It was getting harder to concentrate.

"There you are," a soft voice whispered behind him. Avos jumped and a hand went to his shoulder. He turned to see _her. _The woman he thought was his mother, who really was someone he had loved. It was hard for him to picture. This was unreal. "I hope I did not frighten you," she smiled lovingly and Avos swallowed.

"I was lost in thought," he replied, his hands shaking behind his back. His not-mother looked behind him at the altar and frowned.

"Why were you looking at this?" she looked around the room, "This place is dark," she continued and Avos shrugged.

He held out his fruit and smiled, hiding his recent thoughts in the grin. "I wanted a nice view while I ate, is all." She seemed content with that response and nodded.

"I am going to the garden, would you join me?" she asked and he stiffened.

"I'd like to have some time to myself, if that is alright," Avos lied and she seemed put out. Her finger trailed his cheek and he stopped dead. Luckily she did not notice.

"I have no time to spend with you these days," she muttered, but her smile was still on her face. She leaned in and kissed his forehead, as she had done for years, but now it felt off. With a wave, she walked away, past the well and up the long stairs. After a couple of minutes, Avos breathed again. He threw away the fruit and looked around. There were crushed stones in closed sections that surrounded the entire temple. Avos walked towards them and placed a hand on the stone. The voice stirred and light began to shine on the boy's face. S

"Thy next foe…" and Avos bit his tongue. A feeling of pain burst through his chest and he fell to his knees. Memories began pouring into his mind. The sword, the pain, fear, anger, betrayal. Everything began to return to the cursed warrior. He stumbled and tripped over the stones beneath his feet. Before him stood a statue of a bird. It raised its wings and pain erupted in his chest.

Looking down, he realized he was holding onto thick and wiry fur. As if watching someone else use his body, he climbed up to fur. Wind sliced his cheeks and he looked and a symbol flashed bright blue before his eyes. He stumbled back and was staring at the face of a horrific beast.

It had a long beard, with fearful blue eyes and stone limbs. Instead of screaming, he ran at the enormous being with might and determination. The sword from before was in his hands and he raised it to the sun. A familiar stallion was under him and he stroked its neck affectionately.

The boy gasped and fell onto his knees, a tear rushing down his face. The tear filled around him and he was now surrounded by water. He couldn't breathe! Instead of panicking, he turned around to face a huge eel. Powerful shock waves pulsed around his back and Avos felt the need to run. He wanted to get out of there. His body moved on its own accord and grabbed onto a hunk of fur as the beast zipped by him. He began climbing and Avos watched himself stab deep into the eel and travel further up it. He felt like some kind of hero, an amazing and brave warrior. The shock waves pounded into his body and he flew back, his eyes blinded with white.

When he looked up, it was no longer Avos staring at the ceiling, that boy was dead. Instead, Wander clenched his fists and glared daggers at the hole on the ceiling. "What have you done?" The voice rumbled and Wander's face stayed the same; stoic.

"Saved thy life," it echoed through the temple and Wander snarled.

"How so? Was it really you who saved my life, or was it coincidence?" He turned around and motioned to the whole room before him. "I killed every colossus, every one _you,_" he pointed at the light, "wanted. So how is it that I have become closer to the monsters I have killed?" he touched his horns and clenched his fist once more. "Come to silence now?" he hissed and the temple literally shook. The long dead warrior stumbled and kneeled on the ground for support.

"We have saved thou, as well as thou loved one. Yet we stay locked away, and thy live and breathe. We are more trapped than thy," its voice jumped from wall to wall.

Wander shook his head. "She-she is not alive, and if she is…where is she?" his voice softened, although his eyes were still very cold. He looked around, his eyes circling the room, even the altar.

"Thou love is here, up through the temple and into our garden. Thou love does not remember thy, we cannot save her now, however…" Dormin seemed to mutter and Wander smirked.

His eyes moved towards the colossus and he stared at the empty ruins of the colossus he had killed. "You are trapped?" Dormin whispered an agreement. "And they colossus…are they alive again?" he asked again and the wind changed.

"We have been split up, but not in this world. Thou priests have separated our soul, deep into the hearts of men in the shape of giants," Dormin explained.

"More colossus? How many must I kill? The same as before" he asked and Dormin seemed to almost chuckle. It made Wander nervous. He couldn't live after sixteen, one more and he would die. He looked up again and raised his chin. "You want to make a deal, don't you?" Dormin was silent once again. "How long have I been gone, Dormin?" he asked quietly, his voice filled with anger and a hint of dread.

"Thy have lived in shadows of your true self for eighteen years," it echoed. Wander stopped.

"She, has she aged?" he whispered and Dormin was silent. He shut his eyes. Dormin knew what would happen now. He had fallen into his trap and Wander knew it, too. How easily had he been tricked? His eyes opened, the once warm brown now hardened. "Where are they?" he asked and the light began to shine. It lightened the pool of water before him and Wander turned. The black water now was filled with bright light and he stopped. His last memory, the pool had sucked him in and…did he die? He shut his eyes. Dormin had really saved him then?

Wander touched his horns and looked back up. "How many?" he asked again and the temple rumbled.

"We feel them in hundreds of human colossus," Wander stopped. Hundreds? Human colossus? What did these priests do? How did they make so many? And what were human colossus? "Our sword is in the vital of the first one thy kill. Seek thou friends and release us. Only then shall we return you to her in her youth," he replied and Wander shook his head.

"Let's make something clear here, alright?" the temple shuddered. "Her soul, her body, everything better change to the way she used to be. If you even think of tricking me, I will kill you, understand? If I find out that you are going to trick me, I will destroy you like I did with all the other colossi."

"We shall not fail, as long as thy does not," it replied emotionlessly and Wander nodded. He walked towards the well. He didn't even want to see her. He wasn't _that_ strong. He approached the well, watching the light fade and he stared down into the depths. Did he want to do this? Or could he live with her this way? No, he had to do this. No matter what, this was right. He placed a hand in the water wearily and swallowed nervously. This better not be a mistake.


	2. Chapter 2

"Move, idiot!" someone screamed at him and Wander's head snapped up. A huge human was aiming its hand right towards him. Wander jumped to the side as vibrations made him stumble. He looked up and noticed the giant man staring down at him. Was this a human colossus? It was much uglier than the colossus he has fought. Wander shook his head and dodged another powerful fist. He felt weighed down and turned to see his bow on his back. Along with that, his quiver was placed gently on his back, crossing over his shoulder. "It's an abnormal!" someone shouted. Wander turned around and saw five people with broadswords.

"You might want to move!" a man called to him, but when the flesh-colossus slammed into a wall and almost tackled him, Wander threw himself at the colossus. The force knocked the air out of him, but he was able to use the arrow heads as something to climb with. He held on and someone shouted from below, "What the hell is he doing?" Wander ignored them and continued stabbing and climbing. Wishing he had his sword, he climbed to the top of its head. This was where the vitals usually were.

He began to slam down, when the colossus whipped its head up and down. He fell in the middle of a strike and sliced down the nape of its neck. A pulse radiated from the neck and he saw the hilt of his sword. This is the vital. Keeping his cool, he slammed the arrow heads back into the body of the giant. The force of his fall made him slide down farther. A hand went to grab him and he jumped from the back to his hand. As it went to squish him, he jumped through the hole between his thumb and finger. The giant man watched him in shock and he ran up the arm. The mouth was making him nervous. It was stretched wide in a grin and had far too many teeth. Wander focused on the hilt of the sword and ran as fast as he could. The giant tilted his arm up and he jumped, latching onto its elbow. He watched as its hand swung at him.

Wander jumped and climbed up his shoulder, watching as the hulk took off its own arm. He stared for a moment too long and the giant's other hand snatched him. He struggled to escape and watched in horror as it raised him to his mouth. Suddenly, what looked like heavy string attached to the fingers of the giant and he watched as two of the swords the people were carrying sliced through the fingers. He dropped and his arrow heads sunk deep into the flesh. Blood was covering his face now, but he barely noticed. He climbed up faster, although his muscles were screaming at him to stop.

With determination, he reached the hip of the beast and it began to swat at him with his one hand. With effort, he jumped onto the back of its hand and ran up the arm even faster than before. He reached his shoulder and watched as the giant tried to swipe at him. Anticipating the attack, he jumped to its neck and nearly flew off because the blades on the arrows were sinking in deep enough. He had to finish this now. He grabbed onto the sliced flesh he had made and sunk his hand deep into the flesh. He used all his might and pulled on the handle of the sword. It was resistant, but he managed to take it out. After that, he held it up to the light and the reflecting sunlight flashed at the giant's neck.

The people with the odd rope contraptions were circling the giant and he slammed his sword into the flesh-colossus' neck and ripped it back out. He felt a pulse through the whole giant's body and it shuddered. Wander, having experience with such moments, barely placed it into the thin flesh and slid down the body until he was safely on the floor. He ran out, his arms pumping at his side until the huge giant fell in front of him. Steam began to surround him and he watched as it mixed with the black steam and blood.

Wander blew out a sigh of relief and ran his fingers through his hair and felt the horns on his head. He touched the back of his shirt and found a hood. He sighed in relief and flicked it up, hoping he wouldn't have to take it down. If any priests saw him with these horns he would be executed on sight. Wander heard the sound of someone laughing and more footsteps approaching. His entire body stiffened and he held out his sword in defence. Five figures emerged from the fog around him and he backed up. It's been a while since he talked to an actual _human_. His main source of conversation was with voice coming from the sky, also said voice is a demon's. More like voice_s_.

"I asked you a question." A voice that was void of any emotion called out to him. Wander looked at the figure and stared silently. All of them, they all looked odd. Big eyes, fair skin. These were foreigners. The man who had talked stepped forward, "Where did you learn to fight like that?" he repeated and Wander gripped his sword harder.

"Does it matter?" he asked and the short man shrugged.

"I'd prefer it did," he replied and Wander glared at him. The man returned the look. It was like a small battle between two wolves. Both aggressive, dangerous and will do anything to get there way. Anything. Wander raised his sword and lowered his head.

"It doesn't matter, I would prefer that you leave me alone. I have something that needs to be done. You are in my way." he replied and the short man smirked.

"And this titan was just _in your way_?" he taunted and Wander raised his chin in defiance. Inside, he was curious on how they would have killed it. Their weapons were odd, as well as the huge machines on their hips. "Are you a rogue?" he unsheathed his swords and Wander backed up and pointed his sword to him.

"Depends on what you mean by rogue," he whispered, but he knew that the short man heard him.

"Have you deserted the Scouts or any other military-," he explained with boredom and Wander shook his head.

"I have never been in the army, nor will I ever." He replied and the man pulled out his two swords and Wander lowered his sword. A woman approached the short man and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"But he could be a great asset to the military, especially the Scouts," she whispered in his ear. Wander tilted his head at her and she smiled politely. He remained emotionless. This was taking far too much time, and he raised his blade up to the light. It pointed down an alley and past a couple of these odd buildings. Wander sheathed the blade and turned around, remembering the direction. "Hey! Wait!" the woman called behind to him and he rolled his eyes. He didn't have time for this.

A crack filled the air and an older looking man landed right in front of him. "Where do you think you are going?" he replied and Wander glowered at him. What did these people want?

"I have my reasons for killing these…giants. I need to do this for my own reasons. Unless I am damaging you in anyway, please leave me alone." The guy huffed and spun around, his green cloak flipping around him in a flurry. Wander continued forward and the same, emotionless voice called from behind him.

"You do understand that we can kill you for being a rogue, right?" Wander turned around in a fit of rage. First it was the priests getting in his way, now these people. Who was next? The short guy held up his hand. He began to tick of his finger, "Rogue, a danger to society, disobeying orders from a commanding officer, disrespecting an officer, and we could even say you are conspiring with the titans," he put down his last finger and raised an eyebrow over his fist. Wander had no possible comeback.

"Why? Why can't you leave me alone? Am I that much trouble?" he asked and a woman with what looked like what the richer folk used to read in his home had on their faces laughed.

"Because it's not every day you come across someone like _you._" Her voice was higher and more energetic than the others, it was weird. "You know, not everyone can take down a titan," she continued and lifted her facial accessory that made her eyes bigger and even crazier than normal. She smiled and Wander could barely keep his cool.

"What?" He stood in front of her, stunned. She was _very _weird. Who couldn't fight? "What is a titan?" Wander drawled out the word. It was odd.

They all stood looking at him. The woman with orange hair was staring at him with a slack jaw. "Didn't…didn't you just…?" The older man had his eyebrows furrowed and a younger man with blonde hair scratched his head. The only one who was expressionless was the short one. Although, Wander was beginning to think that this was his normal face. And his surprised face, and unhappy, sad, angry, joyful, depressed, emotionless and bemused faces. Wander decided that he was the captain.

"Do you seriously not know what a titan is?" the guy with the fair hair said. Wander shook his head. "You just killed one!" he pointed to the steaming body. Wander looked over the guy's shoulder and let out a surprised grunt.

"That is what you people call it," he muttered and shrugged.

"What you're just going to leave?!" the orange haired one said. He looked over his shoulder and pursed his lips. Then shook his head.

"No." She furrowed her eyebrows, "I'm going around this corner to kill the next target. Now," his eyes narrowed, "leave me alone." Wander rolled his eyes as he walked away from the mysterious people. The guards never did this. They didn't care if you took down a demon right in front of them and walked away unscathed. These people were intrusive. A hand grabbed his shoulder and he whipped around. He was nose to nose with the woman with the odd contraption on her face. She was literally touching noses with him. In fact, he was sure she _smelt_ him. He pushed her away.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and her eyes widened even more than usual. He took a step back. She was more terrifying than the colossi. "Are you killing titans? Or humans? Or both? Or are you seeking revenge and just got a lucky shot back there and are trying to look like you were in control even though you did look like you were and may still be in control unless you are a very good actor and have fooled all of us which is quite an amazing feet." Wander blinked. Did she even breathe?

"I am a fighter, more like a bowman. Although, I am independent. I don't need your help," he replied, eyeing the woman nervously. Talk about personal space.

"And why is that?" she asked and Wander growled. She growled back and he took yet another step back.

"Hange, that's enough," the captain said and she smiled broadly at Wander. He glared.

"Yes sir, Captain Levi!" she raised a hand to her forehead and Wander clenched his fists. There was a colossus on the run and he wasn't going to let it get away. Instead of listening to them, Wander sprinted back down the street. The sound of stone cracking made his head snap towards a figure approaching at incredible speeds. He hissed and turned down an alleyway. The sound of stone cracking was getting louder and louder. This was going to be bad. He unsheathed his sword as this Captain Levi landed in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he replied and Wander raised his sword. Light surged into it and reflected past the captain. He watched it with slight interest and Wander lowered it.

"Do you know what this sword does?" he said, hurriedly. The Captain raised an eyebrow.

"Is it a torch?" he replied and Wander shook his head.

"It tells me where colossi are whenever I lift it to the sun. These ones I have to kill." He began to push past him, when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned around slowly and the Captain's face held a trace of a smile. _Trace._

"You think I'll believe that without seeing it myself?" he asked and Wander shook him off and ran back out of the alley. Wander pulled out his bow after sheathing the blade and sprinted around another corner of a building. His head lifted higher and higher, this one was very tall.

"Abnormal!" someone shouted behind him and he hid behind a wall. This one was going to be hard to reach. Maybe, like a human, these giants, or titans, have the same vitals. It was worth a shot. He knocked an arrow into the long bow and turned around the corner. The titan was running towards a cluster of men and women. He aimed, holding his breath and closing one eye, and let loose the arrow. A thrum filled the air and the familiar sound of the arrow whizzing was music to the young man's ears. It found its target and the colossus stumbled. Another three arrows were let loose and the giant stumbled backwards, then fell to the floor on one knee. This was his chance.

The archer ran with as much speed as possible, shooting a couple more times to force the colossus to stay down and he jumped onto its leg. It was obvious that this one was like the colossi he fought; it hated having something on its body. Although in pain, it stood, blood pouring out of the arrow wounds. Wander began jumping and stabbing with his sword, trying to find the vital points. It was going to be hard to lift his sword from this area. He began a hard climb, all the while dodging the hands of the titan.

He was on its thigh when it finally grabbed his leg. "No…" he muttered and sliced a finger. Although he had expected it to be a useless effort, the titan dropped him. He latched onto another finger and jumped onto its arm, dragging his sword into the flesh of the beast. The sword was steaming and he jumped onto the back of the titan.

"Hit the legs!" someone shouted from below and the sound of sword on flesh filled the air. "Hold on, kid!" the same voice called out. He slammed his sword into the back and hung on for dear life. The titan shifted and then fell once again. Wander watched as the women and men below him screamed and scattered down different alleys. Wander held his sword to the sun and it pointed straight at the titan's tailbone. Wander ran down the back.

"What's he doing?"

"The neck! Aim for the neck!"

"He's choking, he's too scared!"

Wander ignored them and as the titan got up again, he jumped, His back was still arched and Wander pointed the sword down and he was falling at insane speeds. The titan's back was almost straight and the sword slammed into the tailbone. Steam blew into his face and he stabbed again, and again. The giant flung its back from side to side, swiped at Wander and rocked back and forth. He held on like a flea and finally the titan stopped moving. It swooned and stumbled, and fell face first into a building. Stones flew in every direction and Wander was invisible through all the steam.

Pain burst through his pores on his face. He gasped and fell onto one knee. His brown eyes lifted slowly and a thin, single string of black liquid exited the body of the titan and slithered over to him. His hood had fallen off and he could only watch as the thin sliver of black blood struck like a snake on its prey. It slammed into his body and he shut his eyes. The pain began to course through his body, but when it began, it ended. He looked around and saw the people from before approaching him. His hands flicked his hood up and he slowly stood to greet them.

"That was rather impressive," a woman smiled at him and he watched as the Captain picked up his sword. He believed his name was Levi. The short man analyzed the sword for a second and handed it back to him.

"This is yours," he gave the weapon back and Wander took it without hesitation. The sword hummed when it reached his hands. "Now, mind telling us why the titan just died?"


	3. Chapter 3

Wander stared at the cloaked man with a straight face and a hand hanging over his sword. "I believe it died because I killed it," he answered and Levi returned the look he was being given.

"That is obvious, but how did you kill it?" Wander rolled his eyes.

"Find out yourself, I need to leave and-,"

"And what?" the orange haired one said. "What do you plan to do? Kill all the titans? Are you that stupid?" she shouted and Wander stayed silent.

"Do you even know how many there are?" an older man replied and Wander lowered his hood as they approached. The woman put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. He turned and looked at her hand with annoyance.

"You don't have to work yourself so hard, have some rest," she replied and he gently flicked her hand away.

"I don't have time to rest, I…leave me alone," he told them. "I don't need your lives over my head." He pushed past the girl and the other people. A hand grabbed his shoulder and he turned around, his anger beginning to rise. This was starting to piss him off. "Did you not hear me?" he yelled. "I have no need for you people!"

Levi glared at him and Wander faced him. "You make it sound like we want to help you," he said calmly. "We aren't doing this for you, but it doesn't look too good on your part when you can take down a titan and then tell us that you've never had training," he continued and Wander groaned in frustration.

"Why is this such a big deal?" he moaned and the crazy one took a step towards him, he backed away.

"Who says that it's a bad thing that you join us?" she asked, but Wander was waiting for some outburst from this one. "We can help you kill all those titans that your sword is pointing to," she smiled widely and Wander's hand fell from the sword's sheath.

"I never said that we will take you in," Levi said and Wander sighed in annoyance. Was it really this big of a deal to just leave him alone? If they hated these colossi so much, why did they care about him killing them? "But, Hange does make a point that your sword will come in use," he waved his hand in the air. "Or we could just kill you because you are a possible threat. Now, how about you choose," he stared blankly at Wander and the horned man clenched his fists in anger. What was he supposed to do?

"If you think you can use my sword, you are wrong." he started and watched all the eager faces, minus one, "If I say no?"

"Easy, we kill you," the short man replied and Wander sighed. He'd prefer the sixteen colossi. All at once.

"Fine, but don't expect me to use…that," he looked at the gear on their hips and raised an eyebrow. The orange haired one laughed and gave him a wide smile. The older one smirked down at him and Wander stood there like a cat in the rain. Very unhappy. This was not going as planned.

"Wonderful, now we have a slight problem," the fair haired one commented and Levi nodded. The entire team was looking behind Wander and the troubled warrior looked behind him with a depressed look on his face. He knew exactly what was behind him. An arm grabbed him around the waist and he gasped at the force. He cocked his head to the side and stared begrudgingly at the blonde haired one. He had a determined look on his face and Wander sighed. This was going from bad to worse. They landed on the roof of a stone building and the shingles cracked at the impact of their landing.

Wander grunted at the landing and escaped from the guy's clutches. "The ground is a lot dangerous, keep to the rooftops." Wander nodded and thought back to a certain colossus, a certain cat who acted more like a bull. He shuddered and began to jog to edge of the roof. There was a huge colossus, or _titan. _He grabbed his sword and as he was about to raise it, a green blur flicked by his vision. He stopped and saw Levi with his two swords and he smirked. Although he wouldn't admit it out loud, this guy's speed was impressive.

The green blur that was the captain raced towards the colossus. He flew just out of its reach and when the hand reached out to him, he darted to the side. His swords were flashing in the beam of sunlight and Wander began to analyze the contraption on his hips. Whatever it ran on, it was rather impressive. It made moving a lot faster and he wished he had that when fighting some of the colossi from before. The captain definitely earned his title as he sliced a wedge of flesh from the human colossus' neck. The colossus stopped moving and died in less than an instant. How did he find the vital so fast?

The captain landed beside Wander and watched the steaming body with an odd look. "The titans you kill, there was black steam coming from it. Why wasn't there any with this one? More like, why was there black steam from yours?" he asked and his eyes dug deeply into Wander. Wander felt completely pressured on the inside, how would this guy feel if he found out that he was releasing a demon to the world? Wander glared.

"I didn't notice." The captain raised his chin and he shrugged.

"Must be a coincidence," he began to walk away, but Wander looked at the steaming titan. He was definitely suspicious. Although, he wasn't sure why. What could make him want to jump to a conclusion of him releasing a demon when all he knows is that he can kill these _titans? _He knew he wasn't going to be caught, unless these people knew about Dormin. Wander blew out a breath and rubbed his eyes. He wasn't used to being tired, time never really made his body tired back where he 'grew up'. He could really go for a nap. His eyes trailed up to the sky and gasped.

"Hey, what?" someone asked behind him and he jumped. "What is so surprising?" It was the one with the orange hair.

"Oh, it's just you, the orange haired one," he replied and continued to stare at the sky.

"That's one way to say my name," she laughed and he looked over his shoulder in curiosity. "Or you could call me Petra," she smiled and he shrugged and watched the sun. Petra sat down in front of him and pointed at the sun. "Would you look at that!" It was making the sky pink and orange. He hadn't seen this in a while. A smile appeared on his face and he looked down. Memories began to surface.

"_Would you look at that!" Mono pointed at the sun and Wander cocked his head to the side. _

"_What's so great about it?" he asked and she laughed and grabbed his arm. Her eyes were sparkling and he couldn't help but share her happiness. That was her specialty. _

_Mono groaned into his sleeve and shook her head. "You will never learn," she mumbled into his arm and he laughed along with her. _

"_Well, we see it every day, what's so special?" he asked and she looked at it again with her head resting on his shoulder. _

"_The fact that we are so lucky to see it. Imagine if you never saw this again and all you could think about was how you pushed it away like it was nothing! What would you think then?" she looked into his eyes and Wander smirked. "What?" she snapped and he played with a strand of her hair. _

"_It will never disappear," he replied and she pouted. _

"_But _if_ it did?" she pressed and he kissed her forehead. _

"_Then I'd just have to look at you to remember it."_

Wander looked away and back down to the steaming pile of mess below him. His eyes scanned the scene below and Petra got up from where she was sitting. "Do you want to go?" she asked and he looked down. "What's your name?" she whispered and he shut his eyes.

"Wander." He turned to her and she nodded.

"Well, _Wander, _I think we better get going. Introduce you to the team. Gunta wasn't able to make it, but you'll meet him back at base," she replied and Wander looked over her shoulder. The rest of the people were talking to each other and Wander couldn't help but be worried. He hadn't talked to people in a while. He needed to work on his negotiating skills. Petra smiled and motioned for him to follow. He heaved another great sigh and followed her, slightly dragging his feet.

_But you'll meet him back at base._ Great. He had to talk to more people. "Captain Levi sir, are we leaving?" Petra asked and Levi turned around. He looked lost in his own thoughts. Wander had a bad feeling that those thoughts were about him. He watched him wearily.

"What? Oh, yes we might as well. We'll going on an expedition in…was it a week?" he asked and Petra furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yah, I'm pretty sure you said we were leaving in a week," the older one said coolly while leaning on a chimney. Levi nodded and turned back around, while Wander cautiously shuffled closer to the group and farther away from the one with the glass things on her face. He moved close to the orange haired one, the sanest. She smiled at him and looked to the whole group.

"Everyone, this is Wander. I guess he hasn't told you his name," she replied and Wander sighed. The group all looked at him, except Levi who was staring at the dead body of the titan. His eyebrows were furrowed.

The older one smirked at him and raised his chin. He crossed his ankles and introduced himself, "Name's Oruo," he told him and Wander raised an eyebrow. He looked like some of the priests he was used to seeing. Thinking highly of themselves and not really able to say anything truly highly about themselves. Wander didn't see anything special about him before, but he wasn't going to misjudge him. If this was a team, they must be fairly balanced. After seeing Levi take down a colossus like it was all in a day's work was nerve racking. Was this whole team like that? It probably was something they did daily, if he believed them about killing colossi all the time. Who knew, maybe this Oruo was as strong as he thought.

A man with a goatee and fair hair nodded to him. "Eld Gin, nice to meet you. Welcome to the Levi squad," he was taking some metal can out from the hip contraption. Wander nodded back at him and his mind did some simple math and he realized who was next. The colossi killer braced himself.

"And I'm Hange. The one who is analyzing titans," she replied with a menacing glint in her eye. Wander watched nervously and nodded calmly at her too. Who knew how strong she was.

"Just out of curiosity," Oruo spoke up and Wander turned to him, "Who are you? And I don't mean your name," he added and Wander looked at the squad. They were all paying attention, even Levi.

"My father taught me how to fight," he told them, "if that is what you are wondering." Petra sat down and began switching the cans in her contraption too. While she switched she looked up at him.

"Who was your father?" she asked and Wander looked to the sky.

"I'd prefer not to say. He wasn't in this army, no one I knew was," he muttered. Oruo heard him.

"Wait, you mean you knew nothing about titans?" he asked and Wander considered this. Technically, when he was a kid he knew nothing about _colossi_ which could be considered as titans.

"No."

"That was your first titan?" he asked and Wander nodded. It was his first _titan. _

"Well," Eld laughed and slapped the contraption at his side, "you handled it rather well for someone who has never heard of them before." Wander smiled tightly and saw Levi turn.

"You did handle it rather well for someone who has never heard of or seen one before," he looked sternly at Wander. Wander stared him back in the eye.

"I usually take most things calmly," he replied and Levi nodded.

"Then we need people like you," he replied and Wander looked away. Was this what he wanted? Should he join up with the Levi squad? He had a good feeling they weren't going to slow him down. He considered the team, who all looked strong. Although he had never seen a woman battle, Petra was rather quick and seemed smart on her feet. He rubbed the hilt of his sword and decided as long as he didn't give away anything involving why he was here to Levi he would be fine.

They had arrived at the 'base' in a couple hours, due to Wander not having any equipment they used. He had to ride with Eld again and they both weren't happy about it. Wander sat down at the table that held a couple of seats and the squad began a long conversation. Hange stared at Wander's weapon for quite some time and finally Wander looked back at her.

"Is something bothering you with my weapon?" he asked and she smiled.

"I think that we can get you saddled up in our ODM gear in not time. Plus, we can probably use that sword. You'll just have to hold another one for it to work," she told him and he stared at her.

"ODM gear?" he asked and she nodded vigorously.

"Omni directional movement gear. The big things on our hips," she explained and he looked at his sword. "I'll keep it safe…actually, how about we do it right now?" she asked and he frowned. What was she going to do anyway? Why would happen to the sword?

"Can I see your sword? Please?" she replied, her eyes huge. He unbuckled the belt and handed her it, watching her with hawk eyes. He was weary of her, but what could she possibly do to the sword?

Her eyes scanned it and she gently touched the blade. "How did you get this?" she asked and he looked at the middle of the blade.

"I've always had it," he replied and she nodded.

"And how does it work? The light thing?" he shrugged and she grabbed the hilt and whipped it up into the air. The squad shouted in surprise and most jumped back. Nothing happened. "Interesting," she muttered and Wander held his face in his hands.

"You have to be in the light for it to work," he mumbled into his palm and she laughed. The sword was laid gently on the table again. As he reached for it, she snatched it and got up. He stood up, his chair skidding behind him. Everyone looked at him nervously, except Levi, while he stared at Hange. She motioned for him to follow.

"Let's go make this sword even cooler," she told him and he followed her wearily.

It took about three hours, Wander trying to fight off sleep and Hange explaining everything about titans. Why they were past the wall due to some colossal titan and Wander managed to listen with some interest. His eyes stayed on the sword. By the end, he was fitted in the gear and she swept open the thick curtains from a window. Moonlight flooded the candle lit room and Wander walked towards the window. He also hadn't seen the moon in a while either.

"Alright, good time to practice," she announced and Wander raised an eyebrow. She grabbed his arm and he was dragged outside. She ignored his protesting and they stood in front of two buildings. "Normally, we aren't allowed to practice where we can wreck buildings, but it's for the greater good," she smacked her fist onto her palm. Wander held up his new sword and his old one and noticed the trigger. He had seen them on crossbows. "Point and shoot!" she shouted and gave him a push. His finger clicked the trigger and he flew off to the side. It was hard to balance and he shot again to the other side. It smashed through a window and he heard someone shout. He shot again and it was like playing tug of war with his body. He flew from side to side.

Hange appeared beside him and he watched as she shot them both at the same time and when she rounded a corner she shot only one and continued onto the same path. After about an hour of practicing, he was flying through the streets going faster than Hange herself. When they both met on a rooftop, they decided to go home. It was only then that the two realized that they were out of gas. Wander sighed loudly. This is why he missed his horse.

"Better get started!" she laughed and Wander began to climb down the building. It was rather easy, he did this with colossi all the time. Hange had enough gas to get to floor level. As they began to walk, something dawned on Wander. He was walking back to the base, which was very far away, with _Hange. _


	4. Chapter 4

It had been fairly late when Wander reached the base again. The room was lit by a single candle, making everything a shade of orange. Wander approached the table and grabbed a chunk of bread. His stomach was rumbling and it annoyed him greatly. His hood had nearly come off a couple times when he was walking with Hange, she nearly saw his horn and it made him nervous. She must have seen them, because she did something that she never did, stop talking.

"_So, I was making this great progress with the titans I have collected, you see. It seems that they don't feel any physical pain. It was a hard process to get this information, but once I did, well I sure don't regret it. Think about what we can do with it!" Hange exclaimed and Wander blew a strand of escaping hair back from his face. "Although, I feel bad for hurting them. It seems _wrong_," she continued. _

"_What could you possibly feel bad about? All they are just guardians doing their damn job. It is their duty to die, just as it is my duty to kill them," Wander growled and then stopped. He didn't mean to say that. He had made a mental promise that he wasn't going to mention anything about his past to these people. _

_Hange stared at him again and he brushed past her, this was a mistake. She was smart, insane maybe, but still smart. If he continued talking, she was going to read him like an open book. "What do you mean?" she asked, her head reaching towards him. Wander looked at the sky and smirked. _

"_Nothing," he replied coolly and clenched his fists. He could sense her eyes on his back. _

Wander nervously looked behind him and noticed her silent in a dark corner. Her eyes pierced through him and he turned back before he continued to stare at her. He grabbed a cup and drank a cup of water before heading up the stairs. This wasn't going good. He touched his headband and shut his eyes. He had to stay calm before she realized he was nervous.

_Before he knew what was happening, she jumped in front of him and poked his chest. "What are you hiding?" she questioned and he stared at her blankly. She was couple inches taller than him, but she bent down so that he was taller than her. _

"_I am hiding nothing, Hange. I guess I am tired and hungry," he told her and she leaned back in disbelief. He was partially telling the truth. He was hungry, but he barely ever got tired. He was hiding something, but she didn't need to know that. _

He opened the door and saw the comfortable bed before him. The horned teenager grabbed his hood and flicked it back after checking the door was locked. He turned towards his bed before facing himself in the mirror. His feet stopped and he stared at reflection before him. His eyes were brown, but his skin was rather pale now. He touched the reflection, his fingers hot and steaming the cold glass. The horns also curled up and he stared at them in disgust. He remembered feeling the tips of the horns when he had destroyed the colossi. At the last one, he wasn't even sure what was happening. His memory was hazy.

"_Come on, you can tell me! I won't tell anybody!" she promised, Wander glowered at her and tilted his head down. His hair tumbled into his face once again. _

"_Get out of my way, Hange," he threatened and she put her hands on her hips and stood before him, challenging him. He knew she wouldn't listen to him. _

"_No way, tell me what you meant. You obviously meant not to say that. What _are _you hiding?" she leaned in close to his face, close enough so that he could hear her breathing. He stared at her brown eyes, which were enlarged by the contraption on her face. This time, he didn't flinch. This was something he was doing for someone else, he wasn't going to give up and let her listen to him. He was winning this battle. _

_Wander pushed past her and she reached for his shoulder. When he jerked to dodge her hand, she grabbed his hood. It tumbled onto his shoulders and his hands whipped to grab the hood. He pulled it even farther over his head and turned around to Hange. Anger rippled in his eyes, but they calmed when they saw her face. _

_Her mouth was set in a straight line and she stared at him. She didn't talk again. _

He stared at his reflection. She had definitely seen them. Judging by what she did with her titans, her test subjects, who knows what they might do to him. The teenager knew that his fate was resting in a mad woman's hands. He slammed his fist into the mirror and a shatter echoed through the entire room. The glass falling on the floor, like a symphony of chimes. He slammed his fist again and again into the mirror, until there was no glass left standing. His hands were bloody, but he didn't care anymore.

This was over, she would tell them all. He grabbed his red hair and pulled in frustration. A knock sounded on the door, it was quiet at first, but then became very loud. Wander stared at the door, surrounded by the glass. He sat down and leaned against the wall, his brown eyes staring straight at the crack at the bottom. He knew that shards of glass were going into his skin right now, but he was in a sense of utter anger. The door flew open and he subconsciously pulled his hood over his head.

Petra stared at him. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open. She let go of the door handle and walked in carefully. Wander calmly stared at her and she approached him like one would with a wild animal. She kicked away the glass until she was a foot from Wander. He sat cross legged and stared back at her blankly. What did she want? He blew his hair from his face and took a deep breath.

Petra didn't accuse him, she didn't gawk or look at him with fear. Instead, she rubbed the back of her neck. "Can you come down?" she asked and Wander stood, his hands still bleeding. She gasped and rushed over. Wander jumped back and she grabbed Wander's hand gently. "Why did you do this?" she asked and he looked away. She gently traced her finger over the cuts and Wander winced. She furrowed her brows and grabbed his wrist. The colossi slayer allowed her to pull him, curious on where she was taking him.

She opened a door and sat him down in a chair. He looked at his hands and she began to mumble under his breath. "Men are so dramatic, hurting themselves all the time for what? Unbelievable." Wander watched as she opened a cupboard and pulled out bandages and some liquid. She grabbed tweezers and knelt in front of him, shaking her head. Wander watched her, wondering why she wasn't frightened of him. She began pulling out the pieces of glass, then pouring the liquid over them.

As she pulled them out in silence, Wander was lost in thought.

"_Wander! What happened?" Mono ran towards him and he turned slightly, wincing at the wound on his shoulder. He had failed his sword training yet again, failing to block the opponents strike. She ran towards him, her eyes huge with worry and she grabbed him. _

"_Ah, not so hard," he whispered and she pulled down his shirt to see the wound. She gasped. Her hand was over her mouth and a tear trickled down her face. "Hey, there's no need to cry," he comforted and she hit his shoulder. "Ow!" he shouted and she wiped her cheek. _

"_Why do you do this to me?" she said, her voice still heavy with a sob, "You could have been hurt."_

"_I already am," he told her, a playful smile on his face. She glared and hit his shoulder again. "Ow! Stop that!" he winced and she shook her head. _

"_Why are you doing this? Why must you keep doing this stupid training? You only get hurt!" she hid her face in his shirt and he whispered into her ear. _

"Because I am willing to endure any pain to protect you," he whispered. Petra stopped and looked at him.

"What?" she asked and he looked away. After a couple seconds of waiting, she sighed heavily. A rather large shard wiggled and he winced. "Sorry," she apologized and he shook his head.

"It's alright, you're not doing anything wrong," he replied and she nodded and continued the process.

"Wander?" she asked and he looked down at her, she was furrowing her eyebrows, "Where did you come from?" she whispered and he stiffened. "You don't have to answer it," she replied hurriedly and Wander lowered his head more, worrying about his horns. "Well, it's because I noticed you look…oriental," she continued and Wander looked down at her.

"I don't know what that means," he stated, wondering what she meant. Did it mean his clothing was weird?

"You know, Asian," she replied and he shook his head, confused with what she was saying. "From Asia," she continued and he sighed in annoyance.

"I don't know what you mean," he repeated and she bit her lip.

"Know how we have bigger eyes than you?" she asked and he nodded. "Well, we look different from you. You look different than most people, right? So, were you born here or…?"

Wander wondered what she meant, but decided that answering honestly would be easier and she wouldn't understand entirely as long as he was vague. "I do come from a land far from here," he told her. She nodded. He watched Petra and noticed how she worked gently on his hand and soon was watching her wrap his hand. Once she finished she tapped his hand and stood. For a moment Wander just watched her brush off her pants and thought to himself about Mono. Petra reminded him of her. She was a lot like her…

He stood quickly, knocking the chair behind him. She is not Mono. He grabbed the chair and set it up right, then walked out of the room. He needed to get away from her. It hurt to be reminded of Mono. He had enough faith that he was going to be able to save her and kill all the titans. Immediately he stopped. He just called them titans. Wander kicked a nearby wall and rested his head on the cold surface. Light footsteps came towards him and he turned to see Petra waiting at a slight distance away.

"Are you alright?" Wander shut his eyes and breathed deeply. Then he nodded and she walked towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then we better get to Captain Levi, right? Don't won't to keep him waiting," she laughed and he remembered why he was here in the first place. Hange had told them, he told her.

"Why? Why aren't you running away? Calling me a monster?" he asked her, thinking of the priests who shot him in his leg and then brutally stabbed him for the horns that grew on his head. The same horns that were now present on his head, permanently.

"Why would I?" she asked and he was about to pull down his hood when he stopped. Maybe Hange didn't tell anyone. He didn't see why she wouldn't, who was he to her? Petra looked confused and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Wander, why would you be considered as a monster?" she asked, "Your soul purpose is to kill titans! You want to save the human race as much as we do! That doesn't make you a monster!" she laughed and he looked away.

"Never mind," he whispered and he began to walk towards the door. He clutched the handle and as he was about to open a hand turned him around. Petra was glaring at him.

"What are you talking about?" Wander turned back around and walked out the door. "Wander!" she shouted and he clenched his fist. Why can't she just shut up?! She jumped in front of him and he looked away. He stared at her feet and they began to tap with impatience. "Everyone has a bad past," she whispered.

Wander looked at her, startled, "What?"

"No one here is perfect, Wander," she spoke to him, touching his shoulder. "None of us have had an easy past, or present for that matter. But what matters right now is that you are doing something good. I am lucky still to have my father," she told him. "I don't know what happened to you, but you need to know that we are all here for you," she smiled at him. Wander stared at the woman before him. She was happy and he literally did nothing to make her feel good.

"I don't need your help," he replied and she shook her head.

"No, you don't _want _our help," she explained and let her hand hang at her side. "But you need us. For whatever reason, you are an amazing fighter and can kill a titan without needing any training, if you are telling the truth. You need us as much as we need you. We both make our jobs easier," she said and Wander nearly chuckled. She really didn't realize how on target she was. He _did _need them to help him, he would be able to achieve this goal now.

Titans aren't colossi. They don't feel any pain, they are even smarter. Damn priests. He would never have been able to kill those human colossi had these people not been here. They saved his life somehow. Either way, he was going to need them. "Can I join you?" he asked, looking away. He had to admit that he couldn't kill these things by himself. No, he had to accept it.

"Want to be let it on a little secret?" she asked and he looked at her curiously. "That is what Captain Levi wants to talk about. You are really good at this, Wander, trust me!" Wander stared at her in shock. He didn't expect it to be this easy.

When he approached the table, everyone looked casual. Hange wasn't anywhere to be seen. Wander's hand twitched. Did she tell them? Levi was swishing his mug, then squinting into it. Bozado was leaning back in his chair, his eyes shut and mouth open slightly. Eld was resting his chin on his palm and he blew air out in boredom. Either they were being too casual or were really bored.

"Good, now that you are _finally _here, we can discuss your little situation," he replied with a tired note. Wander squinted his eyes nervously, he still didn't believe that Hange kept quiet. "Hange tells me," Levi stared and Wander shut his eyes. Here it comes… "That you are good with the ODM gear. You're lucky she put time in that little sword of yours," he yawned again. Wander stared at him in shock. "In fact, she was so impressed with your moves, she made her own decision to tell me this at…" he counted with his fingers. "Three in the morning," he glared at Wander and the colossi slayer rubbed his pants to clean his clammy hands.

"And?" he asked and Levi shrugged.

"We need to do some little things like discussing this with our superiors about some random guy can kill titans. Maybe get you to go through training, improve your skills and then you can _maybe _join my squad," he replied and downed the rest of his drink and left. As his chair skidded back, everyone else got up. Bozado woke from his nap and stumbled up the stairs, Eld rubbed his eyes and followed Bozado up the stairs.

Petra stayed and gave him a big smile. Wander stared at the table, dumbfounded. Were they serious? He had to go to training?!

Wander thought of Hange. Maybe she wanted to keep this secret to herself and experiment on him. No, she wouldn't have told Levi. Maybe he should talk to her, ask her if she saw anything. But what if she did? What if she didn't? He knew that once he got an idea in her mind, she would try to find it in any way possible. And what if when he was at this training camp, they would find out about his horns?

"Wander?" someone called. He looked up and Hange stood, her eyes hidden by the dark. She was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and her mouth was set in a firm line. "Come into my room for a minute, alright?" she turned around and he knew that it was pointless to argue. She knew that he wanted to say no, but he knew she could easily tell them. He followed her and once he walked into the room, the door shut from behind him.

A figure had their arm on the door. Wander stepped back but the attacker was fast. He dodged an incoming attack and a candle flickered to life. Hange was staring at him, her eyes bigger than normal and her smile was even worse. She looked absolutely insane. "Wander," she whispered and took a step closer to him. What was she going to do? Was she going to kill him? No, he thought while placing his hand on his sword. He wasn't going to die here. "Can I please see your horns?!" she begged and was literally on her knees.

"W-what?" he stuttered and she cupped her hands.

"_PLEASE!_ I really want to see them!" she begged and he backed up.

"What? No! I have no idea what you are talking about!" he protested and she turned serious.

"I thought you'd say something like this," she replied, pushing her eye contraption up. She charged at him and he took two steps back. His ankles hit a wire and he fell on his back. Hange jumped on him and locked his arms with her knees.

"Why are you so strong?!" he shouted and she smiled madly.

"Can I see them now?" she asked.

Hange was poking and prodding his horns, her mouth stretched into an inhuman smile. "Do you feel this?" she asked.

"No."

"How about this?" she asked and Wander growled.

"No."

She gripped his horns and pulled. "How about that?" she asked over his shouting.

"OBVIOULSY!" he screamed and she nodded.

"I see, so you could say they are like teeth. You can feel them through your skin, I see, I see." She nodded again and Wander glared.

"Better?" he asked and she nodded.

"Oh yes, now what I really wanted to talk about," she fixed her eye thing and cleared her throat. "You see, you aren't going to be able to go to a training camp without people finding out about those little guys," she pointed at his horns and he leaned back in the chair.

"You don't think I already thought about that?" he told her and she shrugged.

"I don't really know much about your intellect," she admitted.

"Excuse me?" he glared and she smiled broadly.

"Anyway, there is no way that only my say can make you keep that hood on. You're going to need someone with a high standing. Now, who do we know does have a good say to our superiors…?" she scratched her chin in mock thought and Wander gasped.

"No." He stated. She nodded and smiled. "No!" he stood and she shrugged.

"Fine, let everyone in the training camp see your little bull horns," she smiled.

Wander knew he was stuck. "They aren't bull horns," he mumbled. Hange was smiling with all her teeth showing.

"Levi is going to _love _this!" she smiled and he shut his eyes.

"Yah, sure." He was dead.


	5. Chapter 5

Wander was beyond nervous. Hange literally forced him to tell Levi, and when he denied, she decided that she was going to tell him herself. Obviously he had to object and was left with those two choices. Knowing Hange, she would probably tell him something radical, making him sound more of a monster. He looked at his booted feet and sighed deeply. What was he going to do? How was he going to tell that dangerous midget that he had 'natural' horns growing from his head? Not only that, but he was supposed to convince him that he was not a threat or something worse.

His boots echoed on the tiles floor and he heard the sound of dishes hitting off each other. He heard Petra, Bozado, and Eld too. The colossi slayer couldn't help but be relieved. He didn't want to see Levi right now, but since he was leaving in less than a day he would have to.

Really, now that he realized it, it had been about two weeks since he last had that conversation with Hange. They had enrolled Wander into the training camp and he was leaving tomorrow. Wander entered the room and as he turned the corner slammed into a body. He rubbed his chest, which took most of the hit and his eyes widened with who he had bumped into.

Short, slim and stoic. He stared straight at Levi and the Captain watched him with a bored expression, nothing unusual here. Wander wasn't afraid of the man before him, he had gone against colossi two hundred times Levi's height, one hundred and fifty for the average stature of a man. He was nervous about being pursued by him, it would make his job much worse than before. Hange had promised to keep his sword and ODM equipment safe until he was finished camp. He felt like a child, but he knew that these colossi were different. They weren't colossi, they were titans. Surprisingly enough, he missed the colossi. They were smart, but easier to kill. They felt pain and he could use that to his advantage, they had vitals, fur to climb and usually more curious than violent.

He thought to his attack against the sand dragon. It was a peaceful colossi, the only one he regretted killing. Thinking back, they were much simpler. There was no one there to disturb him, for example. No one to tell him he wasn't allowed to kill the colossi. Until the very end, that is. The priests ruined it for him, they ruined his life. He was so close to saving her-

"I heard Hange wanted you to tell me something, in fact she was rather excited for you to tell me," Levi interrupted his thoughts. He stared back at Levi, wondering how he was going to tell him. He could by pass it, then leave it to Hange while he was away. As much as he despised the fact that he couldn't kill the colossi for however long it he was to be out, he knew this training would help him kill them. He needed training with the sword that was probably being probed and tossed into the sun by Hange.

Wander gathered his wavering nerves and nodded strongly. His brown eyes were slightly squinted, thinking how he should show Levi. This all depended on how he showed them, he needed to stay calm about this. He grabbed a fist full of his hood and lowered his eyes. He could feel the rough horn, making him think about the colossi. He hadn't realized they felt like the rocky skin of the giants he had killed how long ago. He faltered and he took a shaky breath.

It was like everything slowed. His hand slowly pulled the hood back and all of them stopped. A fork dropped. A gasp was let out. Then a whistle. A mumble. Two mumbles. A grunt. Silence. He opened his eyes, not realising they were closed, and stared first at Petra. He was surprised, she had her eyebrows raised and an essence of a smile. Her eyes were on his horns, whose wouldn't, but when she caught him looking, she let out a small and surprised chuckle.

"I've got to say, I really wouldn't have thought it was possible, guess you're full of surprises," she shook her head and Wander stared at her like _she _had horns. This was odd, that was for sure. Where was the screams? The insults and weapons being lowered to his throat? He would never had taken this easily, so how was she so calm?

Bozado was grabbing his fork under the table and as he began to lift his head, it slammed into the bottom of the table. A loud grunt escaped him and he readjusted his head and stared at Wander. "I always knew there was something up with you, wasn't expecting that," he leaned back in his chair and began to pick his teeth with his fork. Petra reminded him it had fallen under the table.

Eld was scratching the back of his head and his eyes were shut. "And we all thought she was going on with one of her metaphors…" he shook his head again. Wander stopped, wait one second.

Levi was straight faced, not a single wrinkle to show confusion or any emotion really. He leaned against a wall and seemed to be analyzing his horns, like everyone else in this room.

"What do you mean, she was going on with one of her metaphors?" Wander asked and Levi shrugged.

"Hange. She told us about you and your horns. Along with being talented with the ODM gear," Levi walked casually over to the table and grabbed an apple.

Petra nodded and raised a finger, "We thought you'd want to show us yourself," she replied and Wander could barely believe his ears. They knew, all this time they had an inkling with what was under his hood. He thought they were the ignorant ones, really he was.

"Although, to be honest," Levi said through a mouthful of apple, "it was hard to believe. Not that surprising," he muttered and Wander blinked a couple times at them.

"Don't think we are accepting it," Bozado told him and Wander nodded, "because that is damn weird," he held up his fork. "Although, it doesn't really matter."

"What matters is that you have us," Petra smiled.

"And that you can fight," Eld added and Bozado shrugged and nodded. He began to pick his teeth again with the fork.

"Real good, too," a familiar voice said behind him and the horned boy turned and Hange was leaning against a post. Wander was annoyed with her, she wasn't supposed to tell them. But he knew that this was a lot easier to do now because she had. She ran up to him and stared at his horns, again. "Amazing, amazing! Just…wow," she whispered and Wander leaned back and took a step closer to the table.

"If you don't mind us asking, how did you get them?" Eld asked and Wander looked away. This he didn't want to tell them.

"I mind." He stated to them and Levi took a loud bite from the apple and the colossi slayer turned to Levi, who was still staring at his horns. Wander began yet another stare down with the Captain, whose attention slowly lowered to Wander's eyes. Levi took another bite of the apple and then sat down at the table.

"Everyone has a bad past, not that I really care about yours, but I will bypass it for now. We need more people to fight these damn titans and you seem up to the task. So for now, and just for now, I will allow you to let us remain in the dark." The Captain threw his apple into a bin and walked back up the stairs. Everyone in the room let out a big sigh. Wander blinked a couple times, unsure one what had just happened. He was let off the hook from Levi.

"Count your blessings kid," Eld laughed and he ran his fingers through his hair. "Not many get that treatment from Levi, so don't take it for granted," he continued and Wander sat down calmly, grabbing a suspicious looking fruit. The food they had here was different than the ones back home. The one he grabbed was an apple, he had learnt during the two weeks he was here. As he took a bite, Bozado smirked.

"You can't keep up the cool guy act forever, kid." He began to balance on the back legs of the chair, his arms crossed behind his head. Wander shut his eyes and took another bite, the sweet taste filling his mouth. He missed the fruit he used to eat, he missed the people back in his life, and he missed Mono. Wait, where did that come from?

A loud bang interrupted his thoughts and when he opened his eyes, Bozado was on the floor, the chair on the ground with him. Wander couldn't help but grin at the failed attempt of acting 'cool.' "Hey, Bozado," Eld called over the table, "how about you try to back up your words before you say them," he laughed. Petra giggled and Wander laughed, putting up his hood.

"Wander!" Hange called down the hall and he slowly got up. She had his sword and the woman motioned for him to follow. He cautiously followed her, watching his sword the whole time. She walked into her room, checking behind her to see if he was following. As he entered, she pointed the sword at his head and he watched it wearily, wondering what she was getting at.

"What do you need?" he asked quietly, and she twirled the sword.

"Even though Levi now knows about you being half bull," she joked and Wander glared, "we can't convince the men in charge that you _have _to keep your hood up. In fact, if we even told them, they would probably try to find out what is so special about your head. So…" she spun the sword again and Wander realized what she was getting at.

His eyes widened and he let the hood fall down. He didn't know what would happen, how it would feel, but they weren't important to him. They made him a monster, something he didn't want to be in the first place. "I don't care, just do it," he replied and her face was straight.

"I'll try not to make it hurt," she promised and he shrugged his shoulders. He pulled off his headband and tossed it aside and lowered his head. He waited, watching through his red locks as Hange approached him. The sword glinted in the sunlight and she raised it above her head. Her eyes were squinted in concentration and he watched the sword swing and a loud crack echoed in the entire room. She raised the sword again, but before she could, pain erupted throughout Wander's head. It travelled down his shoulders and he fell onto his knees and gripped his head.

The pain continued, he shut his eyes and a scream forced its way through his throat and out his mouth. He felt the small stump and his vision blurred. Hange raised the sword again, but his mind was clouded by the pain. The sword began to swing again and he grabbed the blade with his bandaged hand, black blood trickling down his arm. The white cloth floated to the floor, faster than normal because it was weighed down with the blood. Mist slowly began to pour out, but not enough to notice. Had his eyes been open, Hange would have seen bright blue eyes. Had she known his story, she would have recognized the blue colossi eyes staring back at her.

He lowered his hand and shouted through the pain, "Do it now!" She nodded and swung with both her hands. He gasped and heard the sickening thud of the cursed horns falling to the floor. Wander would have been glad, but the pain was unreal. It was more painful than the colossi souls shooting through him, than falling off the bear colossi, and even hurt more than becoming Dormin. He was silent for a moment and Hange cautiously approached him and whispered his name.

He was breathing heavily, but another scream surged through him. The door flew open and Petra, Eld, Bozado, and Gunta had rushed in. "What the hell is going on?" Petra shouted and Levi maneuvered through them and approached Wander, who was taking gulps of air, his vision darkening. He saw a hand pick up his head band and recognized Levi, who held it out to him. His hand was shaking when he took it. He hated looking like this in front of everyone, but he needed to get over the pain.

He slowly got up and his hand balanced him as he leaned against a wall. He shakily put the head band on, making sure to cover the stumps where the horns used to be. It felt like putting cloth over raw skin and he winced, but the pain was now just a splitting headache. Although it wasn't the greatest change, it was better than feeling someone slowly bite off your ear, which was the only other type of pain he could think of that related to this one.

Another wave of pain rolled through his head and he shut his eyes once again. His throat closed up and he choked on a cough. Levi watched him for a couple of seconds and surprised him by ushering everyone out. He slowly shut the door and heard the complaints as everyone tried to get to him. Petra shouted in anger, "He's hurt! Levi please!"

"Let him recuperate on his own. Let's try not to bring his pride down any further," he explained and the team silenced themselves. Wander stared at the door, and once they were out of ear shot he moaned and fell to the floor. He rolled onto his back and stared at his hand, watching the black blood. It had turned her bandage black and he shut his eyes. Why hadn't the blood been red, like when his hand was cut by the mirror? Was it because it had been such terrible pain.

He turned and decided it was time to get up. He slowly lifted himself off the wooden floors and stumbled backwards. He slammed into a table and a small hand mirror fell to the floor. Luckily, it didn't crack and he touched his headband again. He meant to readjust it but instead, he touched the horns. Pain sliced through his head and he gasped and stared down. As his vision blurred, he looked down at the mirror and two bright, unnatural orbs filled his teary vision.

He blinked the tears away and saw brown eyes. "What is that?" he whispered and thought back to his conversation with the demon.

"_What do you mean?" he asked wearily and the demon was hesitant for a moment. The temple was silent. _

"_The colossi spirit is in thy blood, no matter what rituals are made, it will stay in thou," it echoed through the ancient lands and Wander looked away. _

"_It doesn't matter," he muttered. _

Was this what Dormin was mentioning. When he became that demon, did it leave behind some of its spirit? Wander lost his balance and fell, staring at his hand. The wound began to steam with black mist and he clenched his fist and opened it again. What he saw was a blue marking, shining as bright as his eyes. He stared at his hand and his entire body shook. His sword was lying on Hange's table. He watched the mark disappear and he approached the sword and held his hand above it. He could see in the blade's reflection the familiar symbol again.

A terrible idea came into his mind and he walked towards the small mirror and grabbed the wooden handle and stumbled back to the table with his sword. He gently pulled the headband off and lifted the mirror to see his horns. The stumps looked mangled and disgusting, although that wasn't what he was paying attention to. He brought his sword over his head with one hand and used the mirror to look at his head. He stared at his head for a moment until shaking his head. It was a stupid idea.

As he looked away, blue light caught his eyes and he stared at the mirror in fear. "What am I?" he whispered and the blue vital of a colossus reflected through the mirror, sitting atop his head.

The wagon bumped along the rough road and Wander's head was down. His hands were tangled with each other, sweaty and clammy. He looked up and saw three kids muttering to each other. One was close to shouting, really. Two were boys, one was a girl. Her hair was black and covering a bit of her face. The other had, what he learnt from Petra, blonde hair that was sticking out and fairly long. The last had rather short brown hair and was shouting. It gave the slayer a headache.

"What do you mean second thoughts?!" he shouted at the blonde kid and he shook his head.

"No, Eren I meant that maybe this wasn't the best way to-," he stuttered and the boy, whose name was Eren, turned red with anger.

"This is the _only _way to help. I'll kill them all! I swear it!" he shouted and Wander groaned and leaned back in the wooden seat. The boy turned to him and glared. "What?!" he yelled and Wander looked away. He didn't feel like making enemies today. "You see, I'm right!" he said and Wander glared. This kid was annoying him now.

"I never said you weren't, but not everyone wants to hear you voice shouting so loudly in the morning," Wander muttered. He wouldn't have though the annoying brat would hear him. The Eren kid stared at him for a while. Wander adjusted his headband, always feeling nervous about someone seeing his stumps. He gave the kid a lazy look and leaned his head back once again.

"Say that again," he growled and Wander shrugged.

"I don't feel like fighting today, I feel like training, and I don't feel like hearing some kid tell me to do something I don't feel like doing. Grow up a bit. Everyone here wants to kill col-titans," he cursed himself for messing up the name, "so you don't need to make their trip any worse than it already is." He began to watch the scenery. The thick pines and tall, thin and white trees were different from the ones he was used to.

"Where do you come from?" the girl asked and Wander rubbed the back of his neck. He remembered Hange telling him what to say here, since he was unused to this place.

"Outside the walls," he said and she nodded. Eren's eyes widened and he leaned in really close.

"What's it like?" he asked and Wander shrugged. He didn't know what to say because he had never seen this place. Inside or outside.

"Hard to say, I used to think of it as home," he muttered. "It was different then here," he improvised and Eren leaned back, a smile on his face.

"Wow," he whispered, "Must be. Not closed in like cattle and free. If only we were all so lucky," he shook his head.

"Did you see large bodies of water and that type of water were it is filled with salt?" the blonde one asked and Wander furrowed his eyebrows.

"Come one Armin, it's obviously not real," Eren rolled his eyes and Wander leaned in closer to them.

"You mean the sea?" he asked them and they all looked shocked. Armin nodded.

"Y-yes, you've seen it?" he whispered and Wander blinked. What was wrong with these people? Were they stupid?

"Of course I've seen it," he laughed, "Haven't you?" he asked and Eren glared.

"How about you stop fooling around with us," he whispered and looked away. Armin was still staring at him.

"I'm not lying, it tastes like salt. It makes you float easier than normal water and there's so much fish and animals in it. It's amazing, so how come you've never seen it?" he asked and they all stared at him. The girl lifted her head and he stared at her. She looked like Mono, not totally, but there was resemblance. He blinked and then looked at the others. They looked at him like he was insane. He pushed his headband back again and they rubbed against the horns. He winced and felt tingles slide down his head. He shut his eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

"Where have you been? No one's been outside the walls for years, decades!" Eren told him and Wander shook his head.

"Why?" he asked and Eren shut his eyes. Armin shifted in his seat.

"Because the titans would kill anyone who steps foot outside the walls. They destroyed humanity, everyone inside the walls are the only people alive," he explained and Wander furrowed his brows. This was all that was left? He touched his hand, where a scar was left and he remembered the same mark he had punctures how many times.

"Do you really not know?" the one that looked like Mono asked and Eren shook his head.

"He's lying, Mikasa," he muttered and Wander glared at the kid.

His fists clenched and he cocked his head to the side. The kid was looking out the wagon, his head resting on the back of the wood. "I'm not lying," he whispered and his knuckled began to turn white. He grabbed a fistful of cloth and shut his eyes. "It's a shame you couldn't see it though," he smirked, remembering his memories with Mono. Another thought came into his mind and he thought of the eel like colossi he had fought.

"How about you shut up?" Eren growled.

"Was it big?" Armin asked and Wander nodded. "How big?" he asked and Wander smiled and looked down.

"Bigger than you could ever imagine," he replied and Eren glared at him. "And…Eren is it? Yes, I have seen it, because why would I lie about something like that?" he asked and the loud kid looked away. "And since you all seem to be in the dark about it, how would I know?" Wander looked at the scenery again and saw they were approaching a number of cabins.

"We're here," the girl said and Wander watched his new destiny come closer and closer.


	6. Chapter 6

Wander stared at the man who was screaming at every 'cadet'. His eyes were glaring at the man and he couldn't help but feel sorry for that Armin kid. The instructor's attention circled towards his blonde haired friend.

"Hey! Mop top!" He screamed and Wander rolled his eyes, this was nothing to him. His trainer for hand to hand combat was much worse. The first time Wander trained was the first time he got a black eye and dislocated his shoulder. For that Armin kid though, he had a feeling that he wasn't used to that. "What do they call you maggot?" he shouted and the kid shouted back his name in a less angry way.

"Wow seriously? Why would your parents curse you with such a dumb name?" he retorted and Wander sighed. The sun was really hot, it was annoying him.

Armin replied about it being his grandfather's name and Wander rolled his eyes. He highly doubt that this 'tough' guy wanted to hear about his family and why they chose the names of their children. Wander listened to the useless conversation and the instructor asked why the kid should be here.

"To help humanity overcome the titans!" he shouted back and the slayer winced at his weak and trembling voice. He shook his head and faced the burning sun.

He began asking other cadets, which Wander realized weren't very old, on where they were from and why they were doing this. He began to trace designs in the dirt and whistle silently to himself. If this was what his training was supposed to be, he was sure to fight these flesh colossi by himself. He didn't care if Levi went here and became amazing, this was pointless.

"We seem to really excel in that back home, sir," someone shouted and Wander groaned. He didn't realized how loud he was because everyone went silent. He looked up and the instructor was staring at him. Everyone seemed to stare behind the instructor or at his forehead when he faced them, but Wander stared at him straight in the eyes. He dared him to say something. The man pushed past the teenagers and headed towards him.

"Well, look it here. Are you bored, kid? Do you think you are so important that this is all beneath you? What the hell do you think we need _you?_" He shouted and Wander returned the wide-eyed, angry look with a bored, lazy one. He didn't have time for this.

"I came here to learn how to properly fight," he replied, "not to get yelled at for no apparent reason. If you want someone to fight these…titans, then how about you stop wasting time shouting and actually get to training," he stated. His eyes were flat and he watched as the instructor clenched his fist. He was three feet from Wander. As he opened his mouth, a loud, crunching sound stopped him. He turned and a girl was eating some food.

Wander raised an eyebrow and the instructor turned towards her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"They're drop outs," she answered Eren and Wander looked up at the carriage. The people in it had their head lowered, almost like they are feeling shameful.

"I can't see why anyone would rather pull plants than fight titans," Eren said and Wander furrowed his eyebrows.

"Because not everyone can fight," Wander muttered and Eren looked at him. He seemed confused.

"Even if you can't fight, you learn how to here!" he waved his arms around, motioning to the training camp. Wander lowered his head and shut his eyes.

"Never mind," he whispered and Eren looked to the sun and shrugged. Wander listened to the conversation. Supposedly Eren has seen this 'colossal' titan and Wander looked up at him.

"Yah, I saw the colossal titan," he repeated back in the cabin and Wander leaned in closely. Could this titan have a sliver of Dormin's soul?

"How big was it?" someone asked and Wander crouched beside Conny.

"It stuck its head over the outer wall," he replied and Wander furrowed his eyebrows. Judging from their reactions, that's big.

"Did anyone hit it by any chance, or could no one get to it?" he asked and Eren shrugged.

"Not sure, I was too busy running," he said and Wander slumped. What he needed to know was if any of Dormin's soul came out of it, because if so…well, he was going to be hunting down a certain titan. But what if only he was able to abstract the soul with his sword. If so, then this would be even harder. Eren began to puff out his chest and talk about the titans and Wander rolled his eyes. He didn't want to brag, which he wouldn't, but he had definitely faced more challenging opponents.

He highly doubt this Eren kid could climb a building _and _nearly fall to your death to only retry the action from before. Wander rolled his eyes and went to leave when he bumped into someone. "Apologies," he muttered and looked up to the face of a smug guy. If he was right, he believed this guy's name was Jean. He motioned his head towards the Eren kid.

"Unbelievable, right?" he asked and Wander already didn't like this guy. His attitude, he could tell he was trying to act tough.

"It is rather believable," he replied and looked at Eren, "But he shouldn't act like he killed the colossal titan," he agreed slightly. This Eren kid was acting a little too big for his shoes right now. Wander smirked and shook his head. He used to act like, it was when he was trying to impress a certain girl. He touched his chest and smiled at the memories. Trying to impress Mono, only to have your whole 'plan' thrown back at you. The slayer began to walk by again when Jean spoke up.

"Hey are you crazy or something?" he called over Wander's shoulder and the slayer realized Jean had been ignoring him. Jean went on about something that Wander began to ignore, but then Eren spoke back. Wander had an annoying feeling of where this was going.

"I guess we'll see, or at least I will. You seem content hiding in the interior with the MP's," he growled back and Wander rubbed his temples. Both of these guys were had far too big of an ego and it was going to annoy him for life. He just knew that this was going to haunt him.

"Look, I'm just speaking honestly here kid. I think it's better than being some loud-mouth braggart, tough guy, wannabe pretending he is not as piss scared as the rest of us," he smirked and Wander squinted and cocked his head to the side.

Actually, this might be interesting. He sat down on a chair and watched the show. And show he would get.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" Eren seethed and Wander leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head.

"Alright, sure. Makes no difference to me," Jean grinned and casually walked towards Eren. It was like some childish face off, Wander admitted that he was finding this rather interesting. A bell began to ring and they both stared at each other for a couple more seconds. Wander felt like shouting fight for some motivation, but ultimately thought against it. These two were definitely not going to fight.

He let out an exasperated breath and stood. "You people really don't know how to fight," he muttered and stretched. Jean began to apologize and the slayer rolled his eyes. He hadn't seen enough action in a while and felt the need to be of use. He hated sitting around and acting useless. Right now he could be destroying some titans, gathering more of Dormin's damnable soul and rescuing Mono. Instead, he was stuck with these lame kids who were full of mangled feelings of honor and righteousness. This place was complicated and full of annoying people who were all hot headed. Especially that instructor.

"Right, I'm sorry as well," Eren apologized and Wander shook his head. Men had no dignity these days, they gave up far too easily.

That one woman who shared resemblance to Mono began to walk by and Wander decided it was about time he headed to the cabin. He was tired and disappointed. He believed this girl's name was Mikasa. Wander walked out the cabin, his eyes to the floor and as he turned to take one last look behind him, he saw a love struck face plastered onto Jean's smug one.

Wander, being tired, disappointed and bored, only caught the last part of Jean's compliment. "You have really pretty black hair." Wander smirked and continued walking, Mikasa right in front of him and she paid him no heed.

"Thank you," she replied, stone-cold. Wander winced and shook his head. As she walked out of the building, Jean pushed Wander out of the way to get to her. Being unprepared for such a treatment, his whole body was thrown to the side, slamming into a post. This caused him to fall onto his back, which lead to his hands falling onto the floor.

Wander's once bandaged hand now skidded on the gritty ground and he gasped. He could sense everything that touched and he shut his eyes and gathered his breath. Not only could he feel everything his hand touched, it hurt. Not to the point of his whole body convulsing, but it stung. He felt slightly guilty for climbing over the colossi's weakest point now. No wonder they tried to shake him off with all their effort. Not only was it the only way to kill them, they felt _everything_.

Wander slowly stood up, not only tired and disappointed, he was slightly pissed. Wander wasn't one to take lightly to getting pushed around. As he walked towards Jean, the guy's face was a deep mix of fury. His eyes were locked onto something and Wander followed his line of sight to Mikasa, the Mono look-alike. He rolled his eyes and went to walk around Jean. As he began to turn down the stair, a hand rubbed on his back. Wander glared at the floor before him, enough to burn a hole straight through it.

"Don't touch me," Wander muttered and felt his anger spike. He wasn't an angry guy; that was not what angered him. What angered him was the fact that this guy really didn't get when to lay off. He didn't get that Wander didn't want to have someone rub something on his clothing, push him into the floor and scrape his raw hand. He turned around and the guy was glaring into the distance.

"Don't worry, it was just my-," he began to reply with matching anger when Wander snarled. His fist connected straight into Jean's jaw and he flew. Wander didn't mean to put that much power into the punch, but he wasn't in a good mood. The day before he basically had a body part removed by his own sword and found out that he was becoming close to a colossi. Not only that, but he was also being ordered to 'stay calm' and 'be casual' and also 'fit in.' He was beginning to realize that letting out that bottled anger really was "fitting in," so he let it all out. Jean didn't really do anything to anger him, he really was a victim. Only this kid needed to understand that he didn't take being thought as a random trainee a compliment.

That and he wanted a fight at the moment and was indulging his inner child for the moment. "What the hell do you-," Jean started, but Wander glowered.

"Don't think of me as your friend, or as the guy who can easily be talked to. I don't like you, it doesn't matter if you don't like me and maybe one day you will understand that I don't give a damn. I'm tired and need some sleep, so if you want to pay me back, do it on your own time, not mine," he warned and walked down the stairs. "And lastly," he told the dumbstruck Jean, "don't touch me," he finished and headed to his cabin. He didn't enjoy doing that, in fact he wished he didn't.

Wander had made a rule a while ago not to let anyone get through to him. He was accomplishing it rather well, until he came here. Petra and Hange were the first people he showed his emotions to and look where he ended up. In some training camp that made it so he couldn't kill the entrapped soul of Dormin. Great. Then he had that little scene back there and this really made him get annoyed. He needed to control his emotions, if he could do that he would be able to get through this.

The next morning was hard to get up to. His hand still hurt and his eyes felt glued shut. Wander groggily stood and rubbed his eye with his good hand. The cabin was already bustling with all the recruits getting ready. Wander stared at the uniform and frowned. Did he really have to wear that?

As he walked out the door, tugging on the shoulders of the odd jacket and trying to pull it down to actually be a jacket, he noticed that everyone seemed to be nervous and jumpy. "Today we're using the ODM gear," someone whispered and the other man breathed through his teeth.

"I know the scouts make it look like a piece of cake, but I don't know…" he whispered back nervously. Wander smiled and let out a satisfied sigh. Today was going to be nice and easy. He was already used to the ODM gear, Hange made sure of that.

"It's aptitude test time so listen up!" the instructor shouted. His hands were behind his back and he looked rather regal. "There is no place for you here if you cannot perform! Fail and be shipped to the fields!" Wander stared at the huge contraptions and raised an eyebrow. He didn't picture them to look this bulky and ugly. Many of the recruits wobbled and some were having some serious trouble standing up right. His group was made up of some random people he hadn't met yet.

As he walked towards the machine, he felt the prying eyes of the recruits. They wanted to know what he was made of, where he stood. Was he strong? Weak? Smart? They wanted to know who he was and he could tell that the commanders and instructors wanted to know how he would be an asset to them. Not that he thought he would be. In reality, he wasn't here for these people. He was here to kill titans that had Dormin's spirit. If people saw him as strong or weak it wouldn't matter.

The slayer casually approached the sling and two men helped him into it. They secured the buckles and he was still. He felt the familiar feeling of the balance on his legs and waist, his arms laid out on his side. He looked into the crowds and caught the slit eyes of Jean. His jaw was in bad shape and he seemed rather pissed. Wander rolled his eyes and muttered, "Get over it." He was tired still and when the two men came back to undo the ropes, a yawn escaped his mouth.

"Listen kid, no need to show off," one of them mumbled and he raised an eyebrow. He didn't realize he was. As he dropped down, someone brushed by him and he shifted his shoulder to look at the culprit. It was Jean and he was looking rather smug. Wander sighed and watched as he was buckled into the sling. Wander watched, a small immature part of him wishing that Jean would fall on his head.

There was no such luck, Wander realized, as Jean's hands balanced him out and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The slayer pouted and folded his arms. So he wasn't going to be crushed under a titan's foot just yet. Wander heard someone groan and looked over to his left. A small smile brushed his lips as he realized that Mr. Scout Regiment was having the time of his life. Eren Yeager, the bragger, was upside down and wide eyed. So, Wander thought to himself, he wasn't all that after all.

The instructor was screaming at Yeager and Wander began pushing through people to get a better look. Everyone was giving him pitiful looks and Wander watched as panic began to strike through the kid. Well, he was getting targeted tonight.

"Look at that," a man smirked over his bowl at Wander. The slayer turned and saw Eren with a bandaged head staring at nothing. "He was talking big about butchering all the titans, but got real quiet after the ODM training. Figures," the guy chuckled to himself and Wander glared. He didn't like the kid at all, but he really did feel bad for the guy. He seemed to be losing his spirit. "Can't keep wasting food for the useless," the guy ate his food smugly.

"At least he can have the mind set to do it, unlike you lazy bastards," Wander glared and grabbed his tray. He walked over to Eren and sat down across from Mikasa. She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

She grabbed his shoulder and said his name. He shouted slightly and his eyes seemed to regain their focus.

"Worrying won't solve a thing, there's still time to get some practice in," Armin said and Wander furrowed his eyebrows.

"How pathetic, how am I supposed to kill them if I can't even stand up straight?" he muttered to himself and Wander rolled his eyes.

"If you think like that, you'll never kill a titan," Wander said and he shrugged his shoulders. The slayer sighed and bit his lip. "Not everyone is meant to kill titans, but that doesn't mean that they can't train to." Eren looked away and Wander drummed his fingers on table.

"Listen, it may be time to let that dream die," Mikasa said and Wander and Eren both glared at her. He wasn't angry at her for saying that Eren shouldn't do this, but to let that dream die?

"_You can't change anything about her, Wander," the priest told him. Wander stared at her body, she looked like she was asleep, dreaming peacefully. He couldn't believe that she was dead. Her body was laid out as if she was slumbering. _

"_How can you say that? How can you just take a life away like that?" he whispered and the priest shook his head and sighed. _

"_My son," he started and Wander slammed his fist into the desk. _

"_You can't just choose to take a life away without even thinking! You didn't even know her! How could you possibly understand?! Her dreams...everything! Gone! BECAUSE OF YOU! You ruined her life and my dreams!" _

"_And let that dream die! Her life was destined to be in shambles, she was to have a cursed life! Have some humanity!" the priest ranted and Wander snarled. _

"_Humanity? You call this humane? You are the cursed one! You take away someone's life based on what? A vision?!"_

_The priest breathed deeply and stood. "You dare mock us? You, a pathetic man of no ranking? Leave this place Wander, don't even think of returning until you have understood the depth of what you see before you," he ordered and Wander stood with anger. _

"_I understand the depths of all this. Where I stand, I have no right to be making such calls," Wander admitted and the priest seemed to quiet down. "To understand who lives or dies, it is not my judgment," Wander whispered and clenched his fists. _

"_You see now," the priest said with sympathy. He walked around the desk and laid his hand over Wander's shoulder. "Let this dream die, my son," he whispered and Wander glared at the body. _

"_I now see that there is only the people above me who can." The priest nodded and tapped his shoulder. "But," he whispered, "the only people who could hold fate in their hands are the gods themselves!" Wander shouted and slapped the priest's hand away. _

"I think you should give up this attempt to be a soldier. There is a lot more to fighting and combat then just throwing your life away in vain," she continued and Wander shook in his seat.

"In vain?" he whispered. Eren glared at her. He began arguing about how he would never give up and Wander stared at this Eren fellow with new found respect. He gained his fire again and that was something Wander knew was hard to keep alight.

"Whether or not you're fit to be a soldier isn't up to you." She told him and Wander glared at her. For someone who was so committed to her friends she didn't have the faith in him he thought she would. He stood up as she began to continue talking about keeping him safe. Eren and Armin walked by him and he nodded to them. They nodded back and he turned to see Mikasa staring at her plate.

"You need to understand something," Wander said to her and she looked up. "To be able to keep someone safe, they need to know that you believe in them. Like you said, just because you have determination, doesn't mean you'll be able to become a soldier. In this case, the same could be said for you." He told her and she looked at her plate. "When you believe in him and can follow him to the end, then he will realize that your judgement is right."

"I just want to keep him safe," she replied and Wander shook his head.

"It starts with having faith. I don't mean blind loyalty," he corrected, "I mean that you can shut your eyes in front of a titan and know that the man behind you will save you." Wander walked away and gently touched his once-horns. They were still raw. Would they ever heal?

"Thanks, Wander," he heard her whisper and he shut his eyes. She sounded just like Mono.


	7. Chapter 7

**2 Years Later**

The rain splattered against the window of the small cabin. Wander was the only in the candle lit room that thrashed in his sleep, his whimpering silenced by the rain.

"_I swear I'll protect you," he watched himself whispered into her ear and Wander tried to shut his eyes, but the sight stayed on his eyes like hot coals. He watched as she, Mono, smiled at him. Her cheeks were flushed and she giggled into his arm. The slayer sank to his knees, rain soaking him through. _

"_No, please…" he whimpered and he bent down grabbing a small flower. The once horned man stared at himself, watching as he threaded the flower through her hair. His eyes filled with tears and he gripped the muddy ground. The mud trapped him by encasing his hands in hard rock. Flashes of the colossi flicked across his vision, every single one. Each dying, ending with Mono and her hands clutching over her heart. Wander reached for her hand, and as she grasped it, the young woman gasped. She turned away and stopped in her tracks. Wander could sense her fear. _

"_What are these monsters?" she whispered, her being shadowed by the colossus that was slowly approaching her. _

"_RUN! Get out of here!" Wander shouted and she shook her head. _

"_You said you would protect me, Wander," she whispered and he struggled to get loose from the mud but it held its grip on him. He shouted her name, over and over again. Mono finally turned around and he shouted for her to run once again, but his voice was flushed out. "But I can't find you within these monsters," she sat down as the sword of the third colossus came down on her. _

_Her blood splattered on his face and he watched, his throat burning from screaming, with fear. The once huge sword slowly shrank into the sword that killed her years ago. He felt the mud release him and he rushed to her side. Her white dress was died red and she coughed. _

"_Wander? I-is that you?" she asked and he nodded. Her hand gently took his cheek and her eyes widened in fear. He looked behind him, but there was nothing near him. He looked back and her grey eyes were reflecting the monster he recognized as himself. Blue and demonic eyes reflected through hers. Horns, black veins and a black swirl escaping his lips with every breath. _

_Mono shook and tears filled her eyes, "Where are you Wander? I-I can't see you," she whispered. _

"Mono!" he shouted, his hand cracking against the wooden bunk bed above him. The recruit above him muttered in his sleep and shifted. He stared in horror at his hand and he slowly felt his throat close up. Panic set in and he raced out of the room, tears slowly forming in the corner of his brown eyes. He rushed to the tree line and through the forest. He arrived at a lake and he collapsed. His knees sunk into the mud, as his dream seemed to predict and he raised his head to the heavens and howled.

His tears swelled and he slammed his fists into the water, hating what looked back at him. "What do I do?" he whispered to his reflection and his eyes slowly turned blue. His horns and corrupted veins slowly returned to his vision and he swiped at the water again. "I just want you back," he whispered and the slayer watched the tears make small ripples in the water. Everyone he loved was gone and for what? He risked his life to be returned to a world that was nothing like his life.

He was so blinded by what he wanted that he didn't realize what he had become. Not the Wander he thought he was. He was the story that the wise women told the children of, do not be the ancient warrior and fall into his despair. He choked and swallowed for some air, his armored heart breaking into bits. He dug his hands into the mud, feeling the grit slide under his finger nails. The rain pelted his back and he grabbed his hair and pulled.

The headband loosened and he ripped it off. "Come back," he whispered into the lake. The rain continued to wash him away and he sank lower and lower into the lake's bed. His eyes were blurry. He couldn't tell the difference from the rain to his tears. The moon stared at him and he blinked through the showering rain. "Please."

The morning was hard to return to. The day was still dark and thunder drawled from above Wander. His eyes lifted to the window, his head crouched down. He felt his feet still shake, he had finally broken. He grimaced, took long enough. He thought he wouldn't hold out this long, close to three years. Everyone was still asleep, but he confessed to himself that he was afraid to sleep. His sleeping clothing lay discarded in the corner. They had mud stains and were soaking wet.

Wander blew out a shaky breath and shut his eyes. It would be one more hour before everyone woke. He knew it must have been midnight that his nightmare woke him. He had been in the forest for about two hours. He scraped the trees with his nails and had finally dragged himself to the cabins.

Wander looked at his fingernails and stared at the caked blood that had become small thimbles at each end of his finger. His skin was raw and his nails broken to a dangerous level. He looked at the window again with no emotion. His mind was still set on the horizon and he wouldn't give that up this time. No matter what, he continued to tell himself, he would be reunited with her. She deserved a second chance.

"Wander?" someone whispered and he looked up. Armin was staring at him with concern and he smiled reassuringly.

"What is it?" he asked his new found friend. Wander's smile slowly disappeared and he looked at his lap again. He fiddled with his fingers, twirling them between each other.

"Who's Mono?" he asked and Wander glared at the bloodied finger tips and shut his eyes. Silence filled between them and Armin shifted in his bed. "I see, well I guess it's useless to tell you to go to sleep or not think about it," he whispered to Wander. The slayer leaned back and continued to stare out the window. He knew that Armin knew who she was. Maybe not exactly, but he thinks she was killed by the titans here. After another ten minutes, Wander was on the floor.

He faced the ceiling and a tear slipped down his cheek. "No Armin, you don't see. Because no human here would want to kill an angel," he shuddered and shut his eyes.

The rain was coming down even harder than before. Wander ran with a huge bag on his back and a rain coat. His feet and legs were worn out already from the mud making him stumble with every step. He tried not to think about his dream, but all his hope seemed to hide for a while. He felt useless, he needed someone to scream at him. He needed the instructor to tell him he was useless and couldn't do anything to let him feel some emotion aside from this depression.

Being alone with his thoughts felt like being alone with all sixteen colossi. Dangerous and impossible to live through. His mind whirled between Mono, the titans, what he was becoming and these people around him. Thinking back to not making any friends was a stupid idea in the first place. These people seemed to suffer from his loss as well. Nearly everyone who was running beside, behind or in front of him were feeling what he felt. It didn't change the matter.

"Wander," someone called and he turned to see Eren staring at him, his green eyes shining through the heavy droplets. "Don't do it," he said and the slayer stumbled in surprise, then righted himself. Eren ran beside him, Mikasa on his other side. "I know that face." He stated and Eren motioned to everyone around him, "We all have lost something. My mother was taken from me and so has everyone else's loved ones," he explained and Wander continued to run.

"But that's why we're here," he replied and Wander stopped and looked up at Eren. This guy… "To avenge them," he raised a fist and Wander smiled to himself. Avenge them. The rain began to clear and he looked through the trees and saw the sun crawl through the branches. "So we better get started!" he shouted and Wander nodded.

"Thanks," he muttered under his breath and looked to the sky. Do you hear me Mono, he thought to himself, I will not stray.

The ODM training was easy, he twirled through the air and danced from tree to tree. How this would have been useful, he thought cheerfully. It had been a couple hours and the sun was finally coming out. He could feel the warmth on his cheeks and the wind blew through his jacket. He felt stronger than before, his purpose was returned again. Although, he did have that dark cloud still with him, he managed to get around it. He sliced through the 'titan neck' and remembered his old tactic for fighting.

Climbing with an arrow heads and dodging the narrow attacks made by the strong hands. He raced Eren to the next titan and his friend glared at him. "I'm getting this one!" Eren shouted and Wander smirked.

"I'd like to see you beat me," he smirked and shot forward with a burst of speed. Eren called out in protest and someone else shot by Wander. He shouted in protest as Eren had previously done and saw Mikasa slightly smirk. Wander's eyebrows lifted and he could barely believe what he saw.

He usually never talked to her, but she seemed like the type who would never smile or show any emotion. He looked back and Eren was smug. As he reached towards a titan's neck, his blade sliced the fabric at the same time as someone else's. They slammed into each other and Wander lost his balance. He shot towards a tree and landed on a branch. As he looked down to see who he hit, his eyes widened as he recognized the recruit. Jean.

He wasn't on good terms with this guy, in fact that was putting it lightly. The two, more like Jean, never got over the fact that Wander threw a punch at him. He still hasn't 'returned the favour' but at the current moment, Wander felt bad. He didn't mean to hit the guy.

"What the hell was that for _Wander_?" he shouted, his tone mocking when it came to his name. The eighteen year old rolled his eyes and sheathed his blades.

"Sorry about that, I didn't see you," he replied and Jean shot towards him. Wander ducked and felt the wind and pressure as he flew past his head. Jean landed in the tree behind him and he sneered. This guy had been mocking his name for a while. Eren was already up ahead, so it was pointless to go after him.

"How about you try to impress people somewhere else," Jean cried out and Wander raised his eyebrow and smirked.

"Impress people?" he asked and Jean grinned thinly.

"Stop trying to act like you're a top shot around here and get your head in the game." He replied, as if he was the mature one. Wander cocked his head to the side. Fine, if he wanted to be the mature one…

"Sorry, but it's hard to not look like a top shot when compared to your 'skills," he taunted and pointed behind him at the deep gash he left in the fake titan's neck compared to the less deep one Jean made. Jean's face reddened and Wander saluted him. "See you later," he replied and shot in the direction Eren went. He smiled to himself and his eyes trailed through the trees. He was here for killing titans, saving Mono, and helping these people.

He made a promise to protect her, but for once he was going to help someone else. Armin, Eren, Mikasa and the Levi squad; all these people have helped him and now he had to return the favor. He can do two things at once.

**The Next Day**

It is strange how a once annoying brat can become one's friend. Wander was staring at his knees, his hands pressed against his temples. This is not want he wanted to do. Not today or any other day. He was here to fight titans, not his fellow 'recruits'.

"Are you alright?" Eren asked and Wander ran a hand through his hair. No, no he was not alright. Not at all. The colossus slayer laughed out loud and shook his head. He wasn't one for this type of thing. In fact, he wasn't one for fighting. He did punch Jean; that was true. He had a great right hook, but that wasn't going to help when someone is expecting it.

"I'm here to train to fight titans," Wander said into his lap, "not people." He moaned and leaned back, his head cushioned by the bed underneath him. His hands covered his face and he saw through his fingers the small cabin. Eren began to pace and his eyes were squinting angrily at the floor.

"I know! What's the point of fighting each other when we're trying to _save _each other? We're here to save humanity and kill titans, right?" he said. There was a moment of silence and Wander shut his eyes. Another moment passed and Eren stopped walking. This pronounced the silence. "Right?" he asked again and Wander sat straight up.

"Oh, right," he answered numbly and Eren was quiet. His new friend was a lot different than he thought of him at first. He did shout a lot, was bratty and was too stubborn to listen to someone's side, but he had a good heart. The issue was that Wander didn't. He knew he was here for himself, not these people. It was hard to share the emotions his friends experienced. No one he knew was killed by a titan, humanity's existence was fine back home.

Home, Wander thought bitterly, like he could ever call it that. His home was ruined the moment she died. Then he screwed his life up even more by associating with that demon, Dormin. And now he was trying again. He stared at his palm for a moment, but this time he was stronger. He had a demon's strengths. _And weaknesses, _his conscience told him and he looked away. He wouldn't be surprised if the sword pointed straight at his heart.

"Wander?" Eren called and he snapped out of his thinking. "You-you aren't thinking of joining the M.P.'s, right?" he asked and the slayer widened his eyes in surprise.

"Never, I'm sticking with the Scout's. I love killing titans," he smirked and Eren laughed.

"You act like you've done it before," he smirked and Wander blinked. He let that slip, a mistake.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and laughed, "I guess I'm excited to get out on the fields," he said lamely, but Eren believed him. The kid grinned and motioned towards the door.

"C'mon," he waved for Wander to follow, "Time for hand to hand," he smirked over his shoulder. Wander sighed and followed him into the cool morning air. Birds were tweeting and insects buzzing, almost picture perfect, aside from the fact that everyone was on the field, waiting in line for the instructor.

The dew that stuck onto the grass soaked his boots and Wander let out an exasperated sigh. This was going to be embarrassing. "Eren!" someone shouted and both of them turned. Wander was a good head taller than Eren and most of his friends. He saw Mikasa and Armin wave to them and he let out a faint sigh again. Great, lap dog is back. Mikasa eyed Wander and turned back to Eren.

"Are you ready for today's training?" she asked and Eren rolled his eyes.

"Yah, we better get going," he replied and then looked at Wander, "You coming?" he asked and Wander and the slayer breathed out a heavy and lengthy sigh.

"Better show off my skills," he replied and Eren snorted.

"Stick it to Jean," he smirked and Wander rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Let's go," he walked out the door and nodded.

"Hange, no one can pull that bow back with the resistance on it," Petra groaned as she managed to pull the bow string back about a centimeter. Bozado nodded and leaned in close at the weapon.

"You sure he's okay with you doing that to his bow?" he asked nervously and Hange snorted. She adjusted her glasses and smirked.

"Of course he's fine with it! I'm making it better, who wouldn't want it like that? Besides, this can be attached to his ODM gear and is deadly from far away! Of course he is okay with me making some small adjustments!" she exclaimed and Bozado raised an eyebrow at her.

"How is he going to pull this back anyway? It's impossible!" Petra muttered while placing her foot on the wooden bow and using it to pull back the string. It wouldn't budge.

"Well, actually that's a little prank," Hange admitted meekly and Petra huffed and leaned the bow against the wall. It had a quiver along with it and inside were twenty to thirty arrows equipped with razor metal tips and metal ends that held hooks that would allow the ODM metal wire to attach to them. "The only problem is to convince people that this is absolutely normal," she mumbled and Bozado snorted.

"Like you could easily say that this guy, who has goat horns, is absolutely normal," he rolled his eyes and kicked back a chair. Hange shrugged and rubbed at the lenses of her glasses. "He doesn't act normal either. What sixteen year old is taught by his father to use a bow, a sword and climb a titan like it's nothing? For someone who hadn't seen a titan in his life, he was rather calm about it," Bozado rubbed his chin and sat himself into the chair. Hange nodded and nibbled her lip.

"It is rather odd," she muttered and Petra furrowed her eyebrows.

"Do you think the horns will grow back or will they stay like limbs?" she asked and all three of them furrowed their eyebrows. Hange scratched the back of her head and shrugged.

"I don't think so," she replied and Petra leaned against the wall. She still remembered how much pain he was in, how many years ago. To say she missed him was an understatement. He was a nice guy and seemed haunted with something. Maybe he was lying about never seeing a titan, because he killed it like it was nothing. Like he was on a mission, like he was a scout. He acted like he was after them in a whole new way. Revenge wasn't it either. He didn't seem to hate them, it was like he needed to get past them. It was like they were an obstacle.

Wander stared at her and she gave him a stoic look back. His really didn't feel like doing this at the current moment, but he had little choice. "Alright, we better get started," Wander called and she sighed heavily. He realized she was waiting for him to attack and that he also had the knife. "Right," he muttered and charged. Her eyes stayed focused and bored making Wander infuriated. He ran with the wooden knife held out and as she went to swipe away his feet, his jumped and slammed the knife into her shoulder. Not hard, but enough to let her realize that she was hit.

"Your turn," he said and her eyes squinted in slight concentration for a moment. Her speed was unnatural and Wander used all his strength to dodge the attacks before she made a wide lunge. He went to throw her on the ground by flipping her by her underarm, but with intense speed, she swiped at his feet once again. He flew onto his back and she pressed the knife into his throat. Wander glared and she stayed her stoic face. Wander grabbed the knife and they backed away.

He held it out in front of him as he would his sword and charged. She easily grabbed his arm and he swept his foot to the side and slammed it into her side. Her grip loosened and he lunged at her stomach. She jumped back in time and he himself jumped back, expecting a counter attack. So, Wander thought to himself, this is Annie. She held out her hands slightly and Wander circled around her. Annie's eyes never left his and he finally ran at her once again.

He made an obvious punch and as she ducked, he sliced down with his 'knife' and she flicked her head to the side. As he missed, she punched him in the gut and he spat at the strength of her punch and she slammed her fist into his face. He flew to the ground and rolled for a moment or so. As he got up, the slayer laughed. She remained cold, but Wander didn't notice. He shook his head and tossed her the knife. She turned it around in her hands and Wander waited for her to charge.

"Why do you keep doing this?" she asked and he blinked.

"We were assigned to do it, right? Not like I want to, but I have to," he muttered and eyed the instructor with menace. He, of course, was shouting at someone.

She shook her head, causing the blonde locks to shift from one side to the other. "I mean, how come you are so easy going about all this," she explained and he rolled his shoulders.

"Because," he said and she charged. He dodged the first strike, "I need to be," he said as she went to punch him. "And you're one to talk," he added and he caught her smirk slightly. She went to kick at his legs and instead of dodging it, he allowed her to hit his legs. As he fell, she began to jump at him, but in the nick of time he grabbed her shoulders and threw her to the side. He kicked away the knife and placed his fist on her forehead.

"I know," she replied and punched at his mouth and he ducked, "but I have my reasons," she replied and he shrugged. Annie punched his gut, but he was able to cushion the blow and he grabbed the knife.

"So do I," he breathed and flipped the knife in his hands and sprinted towards her. She rolled to the side and slammed her feet into his side. He fell down and as she went for his chest, he grabbed her hands and held her away from him. His and her breath were even, heavy and rapid. He felt bruises begin to float to the surface of his skin and he winced. His grip failed and she fell to the grass. They stayed lying on the grass for a moment and Wander chuckled.

As he looked over to the stoic faced girl, his mouth fell open. She was smiling.


	8. Chapter 8

"That's how you conserve fuel," Jean said to a group of recruits. Wander rolled his eyes and continued to eat his soup. This guy was rather annoying. He talked about being good at his game, but Wander had managed to ignore the big brute this far into training, he knew he could continue. "You let the momentum to the work for you," he continued to explain and someone gave him an ego-boosting comment. "Duh, it's having a sixth sense for the finer points of your gear," he bragged and Wander snorted.

"Too bad that sixth sense doesn't actually extend to the use of your gear," Wander muttered. Jean slowly turned to him and glared.

"What was that?" he growled and Wander shrugged.

"I'm just saying, I know firsthand that the colos-titan's are capable of," Wander said over his porridge, "and I highly doubt you will be able to use said six sense," he explained to the hot tempered Jean. Eren was smirking over his bowl.

Wander had expected Jean to lash out, it was actually what he wanted to see, but Jean gave him a smile and returned to bragging. The smile got on Wander's nerves, as most things did these days. He soon realized after the first year of training that his hot temper was resurfacing as well. Mostly with Jean and instructors. Besides, he was in this to kill these flesh colossi, not get yelled at about how he was useless. How the hell was that supposed to help him in the first place. Knowing he'd get enraged with whatever Jean would say, he became his prime target to let loose steam. That meant fist fights at night.

"Man, that would be amazing," said the teen to Jean's left, "working within a stone's throw of the King. No greater honour than that," he replied, sipping his water casually. Wander began turning around his porridge, playing with it over actually eating it. It was odd. During these past years, he felt stronger than before, but he had a quite an inkling on why that was. The demon, Dormin, there was still a fragment of his soul in him. It explained his strength, endurance, and speed. Along with his other natural talents boosted due to the corruption. Not that he wanted that, thinking of it always made his heart drop with panic, but he knew that it would help him greatly with killing these titans.

"Shut up, Marco," Jean cracked the back of the guy's head with his hand. His drink spilt all over his face and Wander glared at Jean while scraping the bottom of the bowl with his spoon. The loud scraping noise continued. Mikasa muttered in annoyance about the scraping. "We're not children, you can drop the misty-eyed BS," he smirked while leaning in close to the startled guy. Wander furrowed his brows in confusion. BS, BS, he searched his mind for what it meant and finally leaned over to Armin.

"BS?" he whispered and Armin bit his lip to hide the smile appearing.

"Bull shit," he answered and Wander nodded. He wasn't used to these terms, so it was hard to understand these people sometimes.

"Honour doesn't have any damn part of it," he whispered, loud enough so that everyone could hear him anyway, "You just want a nice cushy job in the interior playing glorified sentry," he smirked and the spoon under Wander's hand slowly began to bend with the pressure. Honour? He had it once and he was proud of it. Now? Well, more like then. _Then_, he had stolen the sacred sword, a mighty crime. Did he regret it? Not a chance. But his honour was hurt, and honour was something that was very important to Wander. It's what he used to stand for.

"That's not true, that's not me at all!" he argued, his eyes widened with fear. It was almost like he was nervous that it was true.

"Listen to you guys," Eren growled and Wander looked up in surprise. Usually it him who started this. "Interior," he said spitefully, "Five years ago this was part of it," he took a drink and Wander cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"You got a point to make friend? I'm right here," Jean threatened and Wander leaned back and smirked.

"Jean, Jean, always the coward," Wander tutted sadly. Armin glared at Wander, a usual sign to tell him to shut up. A usual sign that never worked.

"Poor Jean, so misguided," Eren added on and Wander smirked and rested his chin on his hand to watch the show. "And besides," Eren continued, "I don't think your head will fit in the interior anyway," he mocked and the colossi slayer's smirk turned into a full out grin. This guy…

Jean's eye twitched and Wander watched as everyone began to chuckle, even Armin cracked a smile. "Very funny," Jean said over the table and Wander watched Eren throw back another comment.

"Seems a little backwards to me," he snarled and Jean clenched his fists. "Fine tuning your titan killing skills so the brass will station you somewhere you'll never see one."

"You rather I was good at getting killed?" he asked and Wander laughed.

"The whole point is to save everyone and humanity, but you consider that you would train to get killed while trying to kill titans, but train to kill titans and never fight them. Jean, your theory is flawed," Wander interrupted and Jean glared at Wander.

"Shut up, Wander," he growled and the colossi slayed shrugged.

"You come to join with the military, train quite sometime of your life to throw it all away. What, to spend time in the interior for how long until your titan food too? I'm sorry," Wander hissed, "but you shouldn't even be allowed to talk. Maybe," he got up as his anger began to spiral, "if you actually showed some honour, people could respect you. Instead, you seem to want to do nothing about your future," Wander raised his voice and Jean got up to.

"At least I don't lie to myself, I want to live," he replied.

"And I don't either, but for some reason my honour exceeds yours. Tell me how that works?" he asked and Jean took a step towards Wander, who in turn stepped towards him.

"You think you're better than me? What, because you're little Mono was killed? Because you had sacrifice and I didn't? I'm sorry, but you should know very well what death is like then, does that mean you really want to go through it?" he smirked and the slayer stumbled back. How could he possibly know? "That's right, I saw that whole scene. By the lake, balling your eyes out like a child. Pathetic," he smirked and everyone began to watch him. His whole body began to shake. Eren got up and began to walk towards Jean, but Wander got to him first.

"HOW DARE YOU EVEN SPEAK HER NAME!" he screamed and slammed Jean into the wall. The building slightly shook from the impact. Jean slammed his head into Wander's, but the slayer's rage was impossible to beat. He punched him back, blood pouring out from the once mocking guy's tone. "You have no honour, no life," he hissed and threw Jean across the floor. Jean also wasn't ready to give up either. He quickly got up and threw a punch at Wander, who caught the punch in his hand.

With the punch, pain circulated through his muscles, travelling through his arm and the pain spiked at the end and he gasped. His body flinched back and he looked at his hand through tear sprung eyes and instantly clenched it to hide his secret. "Done already?" Jean grinned and slammed his fist straight up Wander's jaw. He flew back and landed on his back. His hand pulsed and anger lifted. He wasn't going to be beaten by this guy, not when he spoke her name.

In a flash, Wander grabbed onto Jean's neck and threw him against a pillar. A crack sounded through the room and Jean groaned. But Wander wasn't done. He slammed his foot into Jean's gut and the big headed guy coughed. As he went for another punch, someone grabbed him from behind. He resisted the hands at first, anger taking control over him, but then he slowly allowed the person to hold him back. He raised his hands in the air to show them that he was alright and his face was squashed into the pillar in front of him. He instantly knew who it was and he sighed. Well, this wasn't going to be good. But watching Jean scurry away from under him made him feel better.

"Sir," he said respectively, as if nothing was wrong.

"Oh don't give me that sir bullshit," he growled into his ear. "You mind telling me what just went down over here," he asked and Wander sighed, only to get more splinters on his cheek. "And you can leave the sighing out of it," he added and Wander nodded.

As he opened his mouth, Jean cried out his 'story'. "Wander was easily set off with a joke and he began attacking me, so I was defending myself," he replied.

"A joke?! You call that a joke you son of a bi-," his head was pushed harder into the wooden pillar.

"Actually, Jean it looked more like you were getting your ass handed to you. If that's what you call defending yourself, you can kiss your chance at being an MP as it leaves out that door," the instructor mocked and Jean shut his mouth. For now at least.

"Along with that, Wander, get your ass together, or you'll be out of here in no time flat," he growled and Wander glared. "Oh and guess what? You two both bought yourself clean up duty," he said and Jean coughed.

"Sir, my stomach is-,"

"Oh, is it hurt Jean? Well, you should have thought about that before telling your little _joke. _You both still have cleanup duty," he told him with a fake smile and walked out the door. Jean glared at Wander, who was casually taking out the thin wooden shards. Wander glanced at him and glared. He wasn't letting this go. If Jean ever thought he could beat him, he was wrong. But how could he have known? Wander trusted Armin and Jean wasn't in the same cabin as him. He adjusted his clothing and walked outside.

The slayer looked to the skies, a sudden depressing feeling reaching into his chest. He was never like this before. He was calm, now he was this ball of anger. He looked down at his clothing, the one from where he called home, and sighed. The only thing left of his home. Eren walked out and sat on the stairs.

"I was about to punch him, actually," Eren admitted and Wander looked down at his friend and shrugged. "You know he was just trying to prove himself to everyone," he said and Wander smirked.

"It doesn't matter to me, actually," Wander continued to look at the stars, wishing Eren would go away. "If he wanted to prove himself, he shouldn't have said that. All it did was prove he was a dick," Wander sighed and Eren laughed.

"You don't seem to be phased by the cleanup duty," Eren noted and Wander ran his fingers through his hair. The horns had finally healed and now his hair was long enough to hide it without the headband. Although his fingers did still feel the horrid truth in the calloused stumps.

"I'm not," he answered back bluntly and walked back in, everyone already packing up. He guessed that the evening entertainment made them tired. The plates laid discarded on the table, since they were going to pick them up anyway, what was the point of putting them back? He grabbed them and brought them to cleaning pot by the fire. As he scraped the porridge off, Jean walked by and slammed his shoulder into his. As he walked past, Wander extended his elbow, as if cleaning, and it hit Jean in the gut.

He gasped and Wander smirked. What an idiot. Jean began scraping and Wander calmly continued to as well. The cabin was quiet and he began thinking, something he began to get nervous with. If he didn't think, he wouldn't think about her. Mono. His chest swelled with inward pain, his eyes slightly tearing up. He leaned down to hide his tears and Jean stopped cleaning.

"_How many?" she asked. Wander rolled his eyes. _

"_You know I can't read minds," he sighed and she plucked at his hair. The twenty year old raised an eyebrow at her. She giggled. _

"_Children, Wander," she smirked and he blushed brightly. _

"_Oh-um, well," he stammered and she continued to giggle. He looked away and glared. She continued laughing, barely able to move correctly and touched his face. He felt her hands shaking with laughter and he continued to look away. _

"_My goodness," she gasped and kissed his cheek. "You're such a baby," she giggled and stood. _

"I went too far this time, didn't I?" he asked and Wander continued washing the dishes, "I'm sorry about her, Mono," he said and Wander dunk his hands in the water, watching the blue vital lighten dangerously under the water.

"Don't mention it," he whispered and Jean ducked his head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go that-,"

"Shut up," Wander hissed and Jean looked down. After a couple of minutes, the light dimmed and he finished his half of the dishes. He stood and walked out, leaving Jean behind him and his anger.

The announcing ceremonies. Wander ranked second, Mikasa ranking first. They were both strong, but Wander was ready to admit that she was better with the ODM gear than he was. His felt eyes on him and he stared at the commander, his salute still sloppy and obviously not taken as seriously as everyone else. The feeling of angered eyes continued to press on his back and he looked to the side. Sure enough, Jean was glaring daggers through him and he allowed himself to smirk slightly. It had been about a month since that night, where he felt the anger boil into him.

The thing is, he realized that he was becoming a different person here. He needed to keep his head leveled. He needed to stay the same as before, with Mono and him. He was going to return to her the same as before.

He continued to stare forward. But could he really say that he was now the same person? He stared at the five men and women in front of him and shut his eyes, listening to their speeches and explanations of what is what. All he knew was to join the Scouts and he would be fine.

"These are the top of your class!" he shouted in that same annoying scream that every higher up seemed to have. Wander looked around and stared at all the people. Some of them had that day dreaming faraway look, probably about their future. Thinking of joining the MP. Others were straight- or blank-faced, looking at their superiors, but not really. It was the look he had seen in many of the emotionless men that joined the army back home.

These people. They were kids! Teenagers thrown into a fight that they could barely understand. He shut his eyes and looked away. It was sad, that's all.

"MP here I come!" someone shouted in the crowd and Wander muttered in slight annoyance. When was he going to be reunited with the Levi squad?! His hands clenched the mug and he tapped his toe with annoyance. Tomorrow, he had to wait until tomorrow. Jean was looking angrily at Eren and Wander couldn't help but have a smug look on. Eren had outranked Jean and it was great. Although, he still wasn't humble in the slightest, but that was nothing he could fix.

"You really going to turn your back on the MP?" someone asked Eren and Wander sighed. Once again, Eren was a good guy, but once you got him started on this…

"The scouts have always been my goal, but I don't want the easy life," he admitted and Wander rubbed the back of his neck and walked outside. He didn't feel like hearing this conversation. But as he walked to the door, he heard someone shout at the top of their lungs, making the slayer jump.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" he shouted and Wander turned around. His eyebrows were raised in a mix of surprise and boredom. He continued in a quieter tone once everyone stared at him. "How many people have died? We're talking a fifth of the population!" he hissed to Eren, although everyone could hear him. "If that doesn't paint a picture for you, I don't know what will," he sighed and looked away. Wander snorted and leaned against a post. "This is our life now, we can't beat them," he sighed and Wander snarled in disgust.

"Yah, so what?" Eren and Wander said at the same time.

Eren looked to Wander and the slayer straightened, as everyone looked to him. Whispers began to circle around the room, he heard things like that's the guy, his sister died, his family was killed, he faced a titan, and the worst, Mono's name being thrown around. But the slayer didn't hear them, or rather, chose not to.

"You don't let that influence you, or you'll die in the first second you walk out that door," Wander growled. Everyone stared at him, their eyes wide and ears sucking in everything he was saying. "Maybe you are a flea to them and I know that that is a very, _very, _influencing factor." He thought back to the first colossus he had fought. He had been pissing his pants. "Maybe you don't think you have a chance," Wander told him, "or maybe you have a sliver of a chance," he said, his chin raising. "But what about those people who can't even say they have a chance? What about them? Innocent people who don't even know how to look at a titan without shitting themselves. What good will it do if you are the last one left all because you were trying to save yourself?" Everyone was staring at him and Eren nodded at him. He shook his head in disappointment and walked out.

As he walked away, he then heard it, the hate filled rage in Eren's voice. He began to talk to everyone and Wander leaned against the side of the house and shut his eyes. He was tired of all this. This waiting, this training and these weak people. At home, he was able to say that the army would lay down their lives to save the people. They were assholes, yes, but they would still protect anyone who was in danger. These people are in it for themselves. They train here to protect themselves. He rubbed his eyes and looked to the sky, wondering where these people went wrong.

Stomping came from the inside a minute or so later and Eren ran past him. He could hear sniffling and Wander watched as Armin and Mikasa ran past too. He knew he should give him some space, but curiosity got the best of him and Wander listened in. Of course he heard bits and pieces, his eyes squinting to see them.

"I'm joining the scouts too!" he heard Armin and Wander grunted in surprise. Armin? Hard to picture him as a military man, more so as a Scout. Eren began trying to convince Armin not to become a Scout and Wander rubbed his temples. He wanted to go to sleep, but everyone in there was less interesting and even more of a group of miserable people then Mikasa.

"Guess it's the Scouts for me too then," Mikasa replied and Wander exited the shadows.

"Oh come on! You're top of the class, you'll be wasting your shot!" he argued and she cocked her head to the side and squinted slightly. Wander began walking towards them.

"Understand this Eren," she said to him quietly, "where you go I go. I made a promise to your mom before she died. I'm not letting you die," she said and looked away. Wander sat behind them, quiet and far enough that they couldn't hear him. "I've got your back whether you like it or not," she whispered and Wander cocked an eyebrow. She really didn't think that he couldn't take care of himself? He wasn't great, but there were worse people for the Scouts.

"Yah, well mom's not here," he said while also looking away.

"A lot of people I care about aren't here either," she lowered her head and Wander got up slowly, feeling like he was intruding and walked back into the cabin. It was obvious that he should start to think about the people he cared about. But tomorrow…he was getting back into business and he hadn't been in that business for a while.

Wander stared at the five cloaked people coming towards him and an immediate smile crawled on his face. It had been too long. Two of the figures began to run towards him and his body stiffened as they tackled him into a hug.

"Look how much he's grown!" Hange cried and he awkwardly smiled, feeling like a child coming back home to his parents. On Hange's back was his bow and his eyes drifted to it greedily, he also noticed his sword tied to her side.

"Hey, where's your uniform?" Petra asked him, her eyebrows raised in chastising look, a smile still on her face. Wander rubbed the back of his head and Hange grabbed his hair and pulled down.

"Damn, what do you think you're doing?!" Wander shouted and her fingers brushed his horns. He looked at her through his long bangs and she smiled.

"So they don't grow back!" she exclaimed and he pulled away, rubbing his head with annoyance.

"You could have just asked," he muttered and once again he looked to his bow. Her smile widened and he watched as Petra raised an eyebrow.

"I've made some modifications to your bow, hopefully you won't mind," Hange exclaimed and Wander noticed Oruo shaking his head. Hange was supressing a smile as she handed him the bow. He didn't notice a lot, a wheel was added to each of the ends, but he noticed that his arrows were very different. He recognized the razor tips that were usually on the swords. "Go on, give it a shot," she giggled. Wander aimed at a building, making sure that it will hit the wall and not the window and grabbed an arrow. He knocked the bow and tried pulled back. The draw back had shifted and he realized she must have tinkered with it.

Suddenly he stopped and Hange burst out laughing. He rolled his eyes and pulled back. "You know, tightening it by a little isn't that big of a prank," he said over his shoulder and shot the arrow. It slammed into the wall and was imbedded into the bricks. Everyone, including Wander, had their mouths wide open. Hange blinked and then adjusted her glasses. Cracks had rippled on every brick close to the arrow.

"Holy shit," Bozado croaked. Petra gaped at him and he stared at the bow.

"So what do these wheels do?" he asked and Hange cleared her throat.

"Um, they um, well they increase the draw back," she whispered.

"Oh? How much did you increase it?" he asked, staring at the arrow that lay in the wall.

"It was a joke," she muttered, looking up, "to prank you by increasing the draw back to two hundred," she said while rubbing her hands through her hair. Wander stared at the bow. Two hundred?! An explosion made all of their heads snap up and Wander stared at a huge titan. By huge, he meant HUGE. The whole squad (plus Wander) stared as the titan slammed his foot through the fifty meter wall.

In an instant, Wander grabbed his sword from Hange's belt and raised it. The beam aimed right at it, but after an explosion of green, the beam dimmed. The slayer ground his teeth. What the hell just happened? A titan there and then gone, a titan that was taller than the damn fifty meter wall! Anger rose and then fell from Wander's chest. He would find it, and once that's done, he would kill it.

**I am so sorry about the long ass delay! I was really busy with school work and then when I'd get home I'd be really tired and too lazy to go over the anime! I'll try as much as possible not to do that again, since I hate it when my favourite stories take eight years to get another chapter up. So, stay tuned I guess! ^ ~ ^ **


	9. Chapter 9

Titans, they were in the city. They were in the Trost district if he was correct. It had to do with that damn titan. He destroyed the wall, almost like it was a breaking down a thin plank of wood. He had arrived in the square, leaving his old squad once again and listened to the commanding officer. People were giving him odd looks, Petra had given him a Scout's cloak and he wore it over his common clothing. He highly doubted anyone here would tell him to replace his clothing to uniform at a time like this; even if they did he wouldn't replace it. It was his only tie back to his home-to Mono.

Wander found Eren once they were dismissed, his team was made up of four people; Connie, Sasha, Jean and himself. Wander leaned against the wall and sighed. His felt whole once again, with his sword and bow at his disposal he could fight off any titan. Although, he was beginning to grow weary of collecting the souls. How many titans are there? In the thousands? Millions? How could he collect all the fragments of Dormin? Or was it something else?

How could he collect them all then? Would he know if he had? A signal from the demon himself? Or was it more than that? Would he have to stay in this land of war longer than he already has? And how will he get back? There isn't a well here that Dormin could bring him back, last time he checked. He didn't think about this, he was blinded by the thought of regaining his life that he didn't think of the process. He needed a sign…something to-

His sword began to brighten and he looked around. No one was paying attention to him. He grabbed the sacred blade, his heart beat slightly picking up. Was there a titan around here? And his sword was shining in the shade as well, something it never has done. He moved into an alley and pulled out the holy sword. The blade was glowing brighter than before and he raised it timidly. The beam strongly pointed to the east and he lowered it. It was concentrated, did this mean that there was a bigger fragment of the soul? It only glowed this bright back when he was fighting colossi.

Surely there couldn't actually be a colossi here…could there? And was there sixteen again? Or more? Less? His head was swirling with dangerous possibilities and he took a step towards the mysterious direction. Could this be another titan, but with more of Dormin's souls than the others?

"Where the hell is that damn Wander?!" he heard a familiar voice shout. The slayer turned quickly and swore. These people…could he really risk this chance of losing this fragment? He snarled and shook his head, they could survive without him for a while. He would not lose this chance. The slayer sprinted down the alley and lifted his hood, no one would suspect him as a new recruit, not now.

The beam led him farther along the path, his eyes searching for something, anything that led to this secret. He held the sword up again, a crossroad appearing before him and watched as it pointed to a dark home. He entered the tattered building, seeing the damage caused. A titan, most likely. He held his blade at his side, noting the light dimming in the darkness and he heard a rumble. Wander was on high alert, wondering what was going to attack.

The sword had led him through Trost and he had come to a rather deserted area. He heard no sound, but his feet felt the vibrations in the ground. The house itself was decimated, nothing was left of the building. He took another step and tumbled, tripping on what he thought was a rock. He tilted his sword and the bare amount of light shone down. He gasped, a body stared at him, his mouth open and eyes vacant. His chest was…broken. The only word that Wander could think of.

Bits of his ribcage were peeking from his flesh and his legs were oddly bent. His stomach was mangled, barely resembling a stomach. Wander noted how there was no actual sign of being eaten though. If this was the doing of a titan, then this was one abnormal titan. Wander slowly got up, turning away from the man as the light of the sword left. He carefully made his way through the room and light shone through. A huge hole was about twenty meters away and he sighed with relief, happy to be back out.

He jogged to the light and stared at the battle field, or the remains. Human bodies were scattered around, none in the uniform of the military. He stared at the shredded pieces of a woman, a foot wide slice going down her neck to legs. Her arm was nearly severed and he looked away from the rest. The side of a building was in pieces, looking like someone sliced through it like a hot knife through butter. Wander scanned the area for something, any clue on what he was facing. This couldn't be the works of a titan. Titans ate the people they killed and they destroyed buildings, but not to the precision of this destruction. Whatever was here, it was something that Wander would know.

He lifted his sword and it shone towards a building, still in the east. He walked towards it, his eyes searching left and right. He held up the sword-still the same. And then he saw it. The being he thought he wouldn't see ever again. Along with fifteen others, thank the gods they weren't here. Who would have known he was right…there was colossi here. If one…maybe more. The bird stared at him, he knew who and what Wander was. Wander's heart beat picked up, his fear coming faster like before. Doubt and determination were his only feelings and he raised his bow. Strapped on his side was the ODM gear that Hange had given him and he remembered what she said about his bow.

These arrows, he thought as he pulled one out, act as his ODM gear would if he hooked it up to the end of the arrow. It would propel him towards the colossi and give him a dangerous advantage. But, if he missed he was able to slam this small lever down that retracts the hooks on the cord. He aimed the bow, the cords hooked on the arrow and he fired. The whirling sound grew distant and then he felt his body get pulled. He was flying at top speeds and as he neared the bird, he slammed down on the levers and he flew, momentum taking him towards it. The powerful colossus flapped its heavy wings and he felt the cords fly back.

With nimble fingers he reattached the cords in the swords and fired at the tail of the bird. His heart was flying and he drew closer and closer to the colossus. Wind scratched at his face and he slammed into the tail. The bird circled and he tumbled down, losing his balance. Wander grabbed onto the edge of the tail and his left hand seared with pain as he closed on the rocky surface. Tears stung his eyes and slowly pulled himself up. Everything was happening so fast, he didn't have time to think about how this damn colossus got here, let alone how no one noticed it.

Had it killed every witness? Was this what happened when you mixed a human and a colossus encounter? The wind was freezing and he was grateful for the cloak. The slayer brought out his sword, the beam aiming behind him. He turned and saw the vital, his eyes staring in horror. This really was happening fast. How would these people be able to explain this? A damn bird who was made of stone was flying around killing people. He had to kill it, if not for the soul, for the sanity of everyone here.

His sword was lifted high over his head and he began to slam down onto the colossus' weak spot when it flew to the side. He flew along with it, his whole body rag dolling to the side. He reached the edge of the tail and his hands reached for something to grab - fur, an edge, something - but he couldn't keep his hold. He gasped and fell, tumbling faster and faster to the ground. The slayer pulled out his other sword and slammed the trigger with his finger. The cord dug into the bird's wing and he flew along with it.

Wander pointed his own sword at the tail of the bird once again and his body was jerked towards it. He grunted at the momentum and he retracted the cord again and tumbled onto the speeding colossus. The bird turned in circles, Wander knowing the hit to the wing left it off balance and he held on for dear life. The bird flapped again, going higher into the air and the air grew thin. It then shot back towards the ground and Wander crawled towards the vital, using the wiry fur to navigate.

He reached the blue vital, he raised the sword above his head and just as the bird was going to make yet another turn, he thrust the sword deep into the flesh. The bird screeched and he gasped as it turned again. He only was able to hold onto the sword, which was currently impaled in the bird's flesh. It loosened as he hung onto it, his legs dangling down the ground. Luckily, the colossus righted itself and he fell back onto the tail. The vital slowly disappeared and he pulled out the sword, black mist squirting out.

Wander wasted no time and stumbled to the front of the bird. He watched as the bird circled again and he held onto the fur, knowing where the next vitals were located. He crawled slowly across the wind unit he reached the familiar spot. He had to run. Wander looked down, thankful that the bird was keeping to its battle field and nowhere else in Trost. He didn't have a lot of time before someone came here to search for titans. And they couldn't see this thing-and him on it.

He stood steadily and ran across the wing, his feet slamming into the hard surface. The bird screeched yet again and flew to the side. He jumped the last bit and held on the fur once again, his arms throbbing from the rapid battle. The bird flapped and he was thrown, the fur he was holding bending to the bird's will. He grunted at the pressure he was tossed and he grabbed the edge. He looked down and his heart dropped, he was _really_ high up. He slowly crawled back onto the gliding bird. His breath was laboured and he raised his sword, the light shining off of it and he slammed it into the bird's wing with a snarl.

It screamed it what Wander could only describe as pain and he was thrown off in less than a second. He in turn screamed and his hand grabbed onto the sword attached to his side, not the sacred sword. He lifted it to the opposite wing, his heart race beating faster every second. He slammed down on the trigger and was grateful that his aim was true. His whole body was lifted once again and he approached the wing with terrifying speed. His eyes blurred and he released the cord and his chest cracked against the bird's wing. His vision blurred from the pain and his hands began to lose their grip.

"Not yet, please…" he mumbled weakly and crawled on top of the goliath. His hand landed on the bright blue vital and he held onto the scarce amount of fur that was there. He muttered as many prayers as he could think of while forcing himself not to look down again. With one hand clutching the wiry fur and the other holding onto the sacred sword, he heaved a heavy breath and grunted at the weight of the sword. The bird flapped and he tumbled off once again. He aimed at the bird's wing, his heart slamming in his chest, but it missed.

He gasped and retraced the cord, turning and aiming at a building. He shot, the cord cracked through the stone and he landed gently on a window pane. The bird screeched and turned gracefully to the side. Its wings spread out and he realized with surprise that it was coming for him. He aimed his sword at a rooftop and narrowly missed the attack. The colossus' wings broke easily through the building he was previously on, slicing it as it must have before. Wander gasped and thanked himself for making the quick decision to change rooftops.

The bird flapped its massive wings once again and landed on a large pillar. He felt his hands get clammy and he readied his bow. It was weak now, but then again so was he. He aimed, the cords attached to the arrow already. He took a deep breath and let go. His body flew and he watched the arrow tip sink deep into the colossus. It screeched once again and he let loose the cords and tumbled onto the bird's back. He rolled, close to the edge, and crouched.

The slayer's breath was rough and he watched tiredly as the bird flapped furiously into the air. He never remembered it being so aggressive like this. Once his breath was regained, Wander ran towards the neck of the bird, occasionally losing his balance. He ran faster and faster, and then threw his whole body to the thick fur. Clutching it, he watched as the bird swerved as it tried to throw him off. Wander stared at the bright blue marking and licked his dry lips. Here he goes. He stumbled to the wing, his feet hitting the hard and stone part of the bird's wings and he watched as it began to flap again.

He shook his head and dived towards the vital. His eyes stared at the bright blue marking, which illuminated his face, and he lifted his sword, while one hand was clutched the fur. He took a deep breath and used all his weight to slam the sword down. Blood sprayed him in the face, taking him by surprise he fell back, only to be caught by the tail.

His vision doubled from the impact of the tail on his back and he watched dreadfully as the colossus neared the ground. Wander had slain it, but there was no water to catch him this time. Fear pumping through his veins, he held onto the fur for dear life. The bird's body was already covered in the shadows and as he neared closer to the ground, the thought of living through this became slim. He would surely break every bone in his body if he did manage too. He looked down at his gear and a laugh escaped his mouth, he really was that stupid.

He stood shakily and pulled out both of his swords, aimed at a wall and fired. He flew off of the colossus and he landed on a broken house, feet planted firmly on a windowsill. The colossus crashed into the ground and he stood, his breath shaky. There were colossi…here in this terrible world. What more could these people endure?

Wander watched as the familiar veins poured out of the shadow-covered colossus. He jumped down and landed with a grunt on the ground. That was when the tentacles stabbed through him. Forgotten pain erupted through his chest and he gagged at the taste of his own blood. Then the demolished houses blurred and he felt his balance slowly break away. His eyes fluttered as he tried to stay awake, but soon he couldn't keep up with the soul and he fell.

A dead bird-an eagle-lay in front of him, Wander lowered himself and hovered his hand over the body. An echoing voice rang around the room and he looked up to see himself in the temple. The place was quiet and he half expected for a statue of the colossus to crumble, but as he looked around he noticed there were no statues here. Wander looked to the ceiling of the temple and waited. But no voice called out to him and he furrowed his brow. His feet echoed with each step and the slayer turned back to the bird, but it was gone.

A small body lay in one of the empty statue 'rooms.' Looking closer, he realized that the body was the deceased bird. And according to memory, he was sure that was where the bird statue used to be. His head was full of confusion and he watched as each area the statues used to be darkened. Wander couldn't understand what was happening. How was he here, and not only that but why the dead bird? He approached the room of the bear and raised his sword, hoping for light.

The room brightened on its own accord and he took a step back in surprise. A paw slowly exited the room and he stared at a huge black bear. Its eyes were brightening, from brown to bright blue to red. It raised itself and roared. Wander glared and readied his sword, but the bear slowly grew larger and larger. Fur hardened to stone, his back fur morphed turning into platforms and his arms grew longer. The temple shook from the morphing bear and a huge foot cracked the floor in front of Wander. He barely dodged the foot and stared at the colossus. A bear and it turned to a colossus. The bird colossus he just fought…and there was a bird at his feet.

"What have these damn priests done?" he growled and the bear waved its club threateningly. Then lowered himself back into the dark room. Wander touched his sword and looked to the well. Maybe there were answers in that well? He took a timid step forward and once again the quiet made him nervous. He heard whispering coming from the black water and he held his hand on the blade.

The well was swirling and he looked away for a moment. This well was the one that had…destroyed him. Wander felt the sweat trickle down his back and he took a shaky breath. He turned back and looked into the black waters. It swirled around and then a white glow began to escape from the bottom. Letters…no numbers began to spell out. 16. The number was bold and then it disappeared. Sixteen colossus. Alright, he understood that.

The sixteen spread into groups suddenly and he watched in confusion. There were now numbers from one to sixteen. He watched as webs sprang from the numbers. The number 1 had one strand. The number 2 had two, and so on. The water swirled and changed into a gruesome face of a titan. He fell back in surprise and the water changed once again. 134. He fell to his knees. He had to kill…one hundred and thirty four titans. And…the initial sixteen meant that there were another sixteen, well now fifteen, colossi. And they all were animals. No, that was impossible…if they were all animals…what about the bearded man? Or the gladiator. Or the…his heart race increased. The sixteenth colossus. He would have to kill them all again, plus live through these damn titans.

"The flesh colossi guard their masters…" Dormin whispered through the temple and Wander's vision began to shake and he felt the well begin to suck him in. He tried to jump back, but the water swirled around him and he felt his heart race and then stop.

He opened his eyes to a bright sun. Wander brought his hand to his eyes in defense from the light and he opened his eyes to crumbling buildings. He groaned and stood, his body aching. Everything returned to him in a vengeful barrage and he remember Dormin's words. He felt his heart rate increase to the point where he felt physical pain. How was he going to kill all those titans? And how was he going to kill all those colossi? He had to find them, and if they were also _people _who were infected with Dormin's soul…he shuddered.

"Where the hell is he?" a familiar voice called out and Wander couldn't help but sigh in relief. Right now, he wanted nothing more but to be as far from his old life as possible. "Wander!?" Sasha called out and he stood slowly, his back in pain.

He walked towards the voice, his whole body swore and tired. With a stretch, he stumbled towards them and they all raised their eyebrows in shock. "Wander? What happened to you?" Connie asked and then he watched as they looked around. Jean gasped and Sasha's mouth dropped open. Connie fell back.

"Oh my god," Jean mumbled and they all circled. "What the hell just happened?" he stared at Wander and the slayer lowered his head.

"A titan," he lied, "it destroyed this place…but it didn't go for the bodies," he mumbled and they all circled.

"Did you kill it?" Sasha asked and he shook his head.

"No, it got away," he said and they all looked around in shock. "We better get moving," he muttered and they all nodded.

"Come on, we have to get into the battle," Jean said, fear slightly on the edge of his tone. Wander nodded and they walked towards the exit of this horrid area. Wander couldn't help but feel like he was in way over his head. And as he turned back to where the dead body of the giant bird should be, he only saw a dead eagle.

He knew it the moment his sword struck the titan that this was the last titan that was part of the bird's group. His whole body swelled with pain and he tumbled down the titan's body. The ground drew closer and closer and he managed to aim his sword at a nearby wall and clicked the trigger. He flew in the direction and with barely any strength, he held onto the wall. Pulling himself up proved a challenge, but he felt out of breath.

Jean approached him and knelt down. "You okay?" he asked and Wander nodded. His whole body was in pain, but he couldn't exactly explain how his body hurt so much. "What happened back there? You just passed out," Jean stared at him and Wander got up. His eyes looked around and he picked up his sword, he hadn't noticed it had fallen.

"Alright, let's go," he told him and a large shadow appeared before him. Jean and Wander both looked up and they stared at the huge titan. Its smile was troubling and Wander slightly unsheathed his sword. The sun barely touched it, but it was obvious this titan had no spirit in it. Wander sighed and felt his strength already waning. He had killed twenty titans, five of them would be considered an assist, but only three actually being infected with Dormin's spirit. Luckily, it seemed they all were partnered with the bird, and the entire spirit was in him.

He grabbed his sword and aimed at the titan's forehead. He was annoyed with the abundance of these damn things. "Wander wait!" Jean shouted, but the slayer ignored him and fired. The wind sliced his face and the titan made an attempt to grab the cord. Luckily, it missed and he slammed the sword into its forehead. As usual, it showed no pain and he really missed fighting colossi. The titan's hand began to grab its face and he pulled out his sword and ran along its hairline. The hand slammed into its face and he watched the gnashing teeth try and grab him.

Wander stared at them with mixed feelings. Fear and amazement. His legs moved forward and he trailed his sword as he ran. Steam appeared behind him as he moved and he felt his legs get slightly burnt. Pulling out his sword with a grunt, he held onto the edge of its hair as it slightly shook its head. Its neck was a couple meters away and he let go of the hair and pulled out his second sword. In a fast swipe, he lobbed off the flesh and jumped down before the steam burnt his face.

He watched Jean land beside him and the man shook his head, "You fight these beasts like you've done it before," he laughed and Wander nodded without any emotion. He was already tired and they had lost Connie and Sasha somewhere when they were fighting titans. He wasn't sure where they went. His head was in major pain and his legs were already sore. They had been killing titans for the past hour and with agreement, the two went in search for the team that was supposed to refill the steam in their ODM gear.

As they flew from street to street, Wander looked at his sword and noticed it shining to the left. His eyes widened and he turned instantly down the street, forgetting about Jean. Wander followed his sword, running on the roof tops and saving his remaining amount of steam in his ODM gear. He ran, jumping from a balcony to the window of a building. He cursed as his left hand was closed on the pressure. Wander swung his body weight and grabbed the ledge with his right hand and pulled himself up with a grunt.

His foot slammed into the window and he covered his eyes as it shattered. Running through the abandoned home. His feet made loud slapping noises on the ground and he used his body weight to go through yet another window. His whole body swung as he threw himself to the next house and climbed up onto the roof. Panting, he held his sword into the air and the bit of light that was shining through the clouds burst through his sword. It aimed at another alleyway and he smiled to himself. Now who was the prey?

His legs bounded forward and he ran on the shingles of a home, hoping his feet wouldn't trip on the questionable roofing. Wander crouched as he saw the massive humanoid. This titan had a lock of black hair and a frown, unlike most. He felt a chill run up his spine, but shook it off. Fear was healthy, just as long as it didn't get in the way. He slipped from one roof top to another, making as little noise as possible, but he knew the titan would notice him sooner or later. He learned about their keen senses.

As he approached it, the titan's head moved lazily to look at him. He pulled out his bow and sprinted. Never caught off guard, it took a swing at his head and he simply jumped off the building. An arrow knocked in his bow, he let loose the draw and his aim was true. It lodged itself through the titan's neck and into the wall behind it. He knew it wouldn't feel the pain, they never showed it, but that wasn't on his mind as his body was flying towards the titan at fast speeds. In an example of skill and grace, Wander swapped his bow for two swords and crossed them in front of himself.

The neck approached and fired a fast shot to the side, the titan looked at him in confusion. He swung to its back, but a hand came crashing down on him. The breath was taken from his lungs and he gulped for air, although none would come. Mentally cursing himself, he watched as the titan brought him closer and closer to its mouth. He looked down and both of his swords were lying discarded on the ground. The mouth drew closer and closer, enough for him to see its tongue and the scratched in its teeth.

A screech was heard to his left and he almost expected that damn bird to come back for more, but what he saw made him shut his eyes. "Damn my luck…"


	10. Chapter 10

The mouth was drawing closer and the slayer shut his eyes. It was now that he felt weak, his fury had died down and all his bravado was diminished. He was limp in the titan's arms and his eyes were half shut. _Why? How could I have failed?_ It seemed impossible to him, he was supposed to win. The panicking feeling in his chest proved that he was done. It was this feeling that he felt when the priest had thrown the sacred sword into the well. This feeling as he was slowly sucked into the well, his identity, his life, and Mono had been stripped from his grasp. He had been finished, his quest had been cut short.

Now he was feeling that self-hatred once again. _Where did I go wrong?_ He couldn't comprehend his end. Wander wasn't supposed to die, he wasn't supposed to fail. He was going to win, he had to. That was obviously false. He was going to die, he thought bitterly as the tongue of the titan rolled in the beast's mouth. He would die like every other poor soul here. Not only that, he wouldn't see Mono again. The slayer glared death in its face, his pride not allowing a tear to fall.

And then the screech interrupted his thoughts. He thought his last stand would be of pride and then he'd descend to hell, most likely. Wander just stared at the titan, its feet crumbling the cobblestone street, the mighty fists demolishing the houses and its sharp teeth roaring with what he described with rage. The colossi slayer's face had the usual emotionless mask on and he sighed. _Now what?_ It seemed like time slowed. No, that wasn't right. It sped up.

One second, his head was halfway in the titan's mouth. Two seconds, he felt his body's restraints fall and he tumbled down into the mouth. Three seconds, his body landed on hard wooden floor. He blinked and looked around. It was then that his heart began to slam heavily in his chest and his mouth gasped for air. He fell on his hands and knees, taking shallow breaths in like they would be his last. _They almost were. _Gathering his courage, his poked his head out the window.

Rage monster. Freak. _Abnormal. _He watched in a mixture of shock and confusion as the titans battled. His chest was still heaving. At the time, he wasn't ready to face death, but in his situation he couldn't really reschedule. This titan, who was crushing the head of the previous titan, had saved his life. Wander looked around the room his was currently in and thought of what had just happened. The titan had dropped him into his mouth and the rage titan had tackled the other titan causing him to fall through a window.

He looked around the tiny room and took notice of not having his sword. _How to leave…_ He found a staircase and exited the building, returning to the streets. A sudden feeling of being small struck him as he stared at the giants in front of him, but as he collected his swords and bow, he glared at the titans. He raised the sword, hoping he had ran into a titan that held Dormin's soul. He frowned at the dull light. _It doesn't have his soul. I would have died by some random titan. _He turned and left the titan to the rage monster that was behind him.

Once again, his sword shined brightly, the beam of light bright and on his previous path. The pain from before had increased and he gingerly touched his stomach where he knew Dormin's soul had nestled itself. His feet stumbled and all his remaining adrenaline evaporated. He leaned against a wall and felt his pain begin to lessen. He needed to kill more. He _will _kill more. He grunted with the effort to straighten and felt sweat bead on his hairline.

Wander turned to the titan and watched with fascination at the beast's brutal fight. When the gore became too much for him, he turned and continued down the path. Wander wasn't weak and his endurance wasn't like any other. So after a couple of minutes winding down alleys and resting every now and then, his strength slowly recovered. The slayer began to jog, silently thanking his old horse who used to be his transportation in between each colossus.

A stomping made him stop and he gingerly raised his sword. With a smile, he realized that it was pointing directly at the sound. He sheathed the holy sword and reached behind his back, equipping the massive bow.

Connie stood on the edge of the building, watching the heartbroken Mikasa raise her sword and told them to fight. To stand up. To win. And then from the corner of his eye he saw it-no him. He was moving through the narrow streets and the only thing Connie could think of was _cool. _Wander looked exactly like Mikasa right now. Both of them tight lipped, a hard and tough glint in their eyes and eyebrows that were angled down in a look of slight despair.

Yet, he didn't realize the depth of his thoughts. He couldn't comprehend that both Mikasa and Wander were feeling almost exactly the same thoughts except for one minor detail. Mikasa was still catching up with Wander. Wander had felt everything Mikasa had right as she lifted that sword. As she told off the group that had lost their hope. Her heart was aching at the loss of Eren. She didn't care for her own life now. Wander did, but once again they were both connected as such.

He needed to stay alive to protect Mono, Mikasa needed to stay alive to protect Eren. But what both Connie and Mikasa didn't realize, and probably never would, was that Wander had failed _twice _at protecting the one he loved. And as Wander stopped in his tracks, the black smoke around him signaling his collection of the demon's souls, he turned to Mikasa. He didn't know what had happened, he wouldn't until quite some time, but at that moment their eyes connected. And he gave her but a simple nod that held deep meaning.

Wander understood her pain and although nothing could really break through her shell of defeat, his simple nod made her feel a moment of pure relief. That she wasn't alone, that as she jumped from the building and shot towards her enemies, she knew there was someone out there that could understand her. She just didn't realize how deep that understanding went.

Wander could sense it again. It tingled up his spine and his chest felt like it was being punctured. And then the feeling faded, once again. He was out of steam, but as he watched all the people behind him jump from the rooftops and soar through the streets, he felt longing. His sword had butchered a wide range of titans-ranging from abnormal, possessing a fragment of Dormin's soul, to simple and dumb titans. He wasn't stupid, treating average titans like they were nothing wasn't a trait in someone who kills titans. Wander had fought numerous titans now and he knew how dangerous a slow minded giant could be.

Keeping at a fast paced jog, he followed the group. He needed more fuel for his ODM gear and he admitted to himself that he was rather useless on the ground. He listened to the padding of his feet on the cobblestone ground and his mind thought elsewhere.

Wander wondered how long he would have to stay here and what it would take to leave. Along with that, what else was hiding behind the corners of this place? Where were the colossus hiding and how would he find them? How could he hide such things to these people? Eventually he would have to tell someone about his origins. And how he knew about colossus and more importantly how to kill them. A cowardly thought began to cloud his mind. _What if I died?_

This thought made him stop in his tracks and he stared at the ground in shock. Mono wouldn't know, she would be looking for her oddly familiar 'son' who also seemed to look like her old fiancé. His heart race began to increase and he felt his breathing quicken. He clenched his chest and stared at the cloudless sky. He felt his heartbeat slow and a shaky breath escaped the nervous slayer. He looked to the gates in the distance, standing far and strong. He knew where he'd find the colossus. Where there were plenty of titans, there would be _his _titans.

He looked to where he knew his team was. "I'm sorry, but you people are slowing me down," he said out loud and snarled at the ground. "I don't belong here," he hissed and his hand grabbed the green cloak on his back. "So I'm done playing dress up." He ripped the cloak off his back and threw it to the ground. His eyes were once again confident and set on his ways. He unbuckled his ODM gear and it dropped to the floor. It made a loud crashing noise.

Wander knew exactly where he was going. Through the hole in the wall where titans poured into the city. He wasn't a Scout. He wasn't even part of these damnable people's army. He was a rogue and would forever be branded one. So why would he need to pretend to be something he's not. As he began to walk away from the fallen equipment, he stopped. Titans were different. Maybe he could climb fur, but smooth skin wasn't climbable. He picked up the ODM gear once again and threw the swords away. They were useless without steam.

But this bow wasn't. He silently thanked Hange for this great idea and adjusted the quiver on his back. There were no walls to protect him now, there were no people to help him and no 'friendly' titans to save him. He was once again alone and surge of confidence and strength poured through him. No longer would he have to look behind him to see if his friends were all right. Or cooperate with people who couldn't even hold a candle to his skill. These damn five years were useless. Maybe he learned a history lesson with those people or found out why titans wanted to eat him, but he couldn't see why that was important at all.

The only thing he learned in that training camp was this; people die, they scar you and make you who you are. And those scars can save you or kill you. And those people were full of them, something he had known quite well. But those scarred people were slowing him down. It had been _five _years and he killed one colossus and its team of flesh colossi. To him it was pathetic and this damnable camp wasted his time. He began to move quicker to the hole in this mighty wall and a sense of freedom began to absorb him.

He raised his sword high into the air and he smiled cruelly as he saw it point directly through the wall. As he reached it, he noticed the swarming titans. _I can't kill them all…_ He growled and sheathed the sacred sword and opened a house door and looked through the window. The house was somehow intact and he thanked whatever god had granted him this pleasure. _Titans can sense a human's presence like a bloodhound. How can I get out of here without them noticing me? _He scanned the house, looking for an alternate exit and walked up the stairs as quietly as possible. As he crossed the dark hallway he tripped and staggered forward.

Wander's hands struck out and he held the wall for support. Looking to what he thought was furniture that he tripped over, he found a body. He held his hand over his mouth and shuddered. The man's eyes were glazed and his mouth was sealed shut. His hands were clutched on his chest and Wander slowly approached the body and stared at the knife that was dug into the man's chest. _He killed himself._ Wander shut his eyes and an idea came into his mind. It was a sick and twisted idea and he knew it would haunt him for his life, but this was the only way.

It took him some time to convince himself to commit to his idea and his head was swarming with morals and bad luck. But what choice did he have. He might as well get it over with and then think about it later.

He grabbed the man and tugged the knife out of his chest. Like a sack of potatoes, he threw the man over his back and slowly made his way farther up to the top of the building. A balcony looked towards the wall and he ducked to hide his presence from the titans that roamed around his hiding spot. He had only one chance and he'd have to trust his skill to make this work. He lifted the body and leaned it on the balcony. His heart beat slammed in his chest and he tried to block out what he had to do.

He grabbed the knife that was previously in the man's chest and his hands shook as he placed it below the dead man's chin, square in his chest. Shutting his eyes and sliced down and felt the blood splatter his face. His breaths began to quicken, but he thought only of Mono and the colossi. This man is dead, there was nothing he could do about it. He didn't want to die. He grabbed an arrow and took a step back from the body. He prayed that this would work.

His bow was aimed at the man's chest and he continued to take deep breaths and finally he held it. The arrow let loose and time appeared to slow. The body flew with the arrow's extreme strength. The blood splattered across the entire street and the titans all turned. The blood and movement had attracted them to the dead man and each one of them began to move. Wander knocked another arrow and hooked it to the ODM gear. His aim was dead on and it landed just above the hole in the wall.

He jumped onto the rails of the balcony and his body flew with the arrow. Titans turned and he used their bodies to launch his feet again and again. He was almost there. A titan lashed out at him and he grabbed the mighty sword from his side and sliced at the monster's eyes. It stumbled in surprise and he continued flying. He was so close to the hole in the wall and titans were falling to his feet. He had the knife still in his hand and used it to slaughter titans in his way. With his strength and skill, he didn't need razors for swords. He could do this.

Hope soared and he grabbed the arrow that was attached to the wall and unclipped the cords that were attached to the arrow manually. As he fell, there was no fear. Although it pained him to know this, Dormin's soul that was in him strengthened him. He had fallen off colossus, he could manage this fall. Once he landed he groaned as the impact was more painful than expected, but this didn't stop him. Adrenaline was rushing through every vein in his body and he moved quickly.

A clomping behind him made him turn in surprise and he laughed. Luck truly was on his side as a brown horse made its way towards him. He laughed and jumped onto the terrified horse. It had no reins or saddle, but he knew how to handle horses. He thought of his old horse, Agro, and smiled sadly. _Now is not the time for reminiscing._ Wander scolded himself and dug his heels into the stallion's side and it reared. The mighty beast raced through the hole and he continued to urge it to go faster.

The horse obeyed his commands and galloped at a remarkable speed. He turned around and his eyes widened at the party of angered titans that followed him. The colossi slayer turned around on the horse, being skilled as a marksman made him deadly, even on horseback. He aimed his bow and shot towards a shorter titan. The force shot him off the horse and he flew straight at its forehead. The titan tried to grab him, but he twirled out of its grip and he grabbed onto the hair that sat atop the ugly beast's head. He pulled out the knife and returned his bow to his back, although not exactly in that order. His knife and sword combo found the giant's neck and he killed it before its hand could reach him.

The next titan he had chosen to kill was coming at him at a fast pace. His speed quickened and he used the cord that was still attached to the arrow to support him. He reached the forehead and grabbed the arrow from the forehead and used it to aim at a nearby tree. He flew again and landed painfully onto the branch. He winced and saw that he twisted his ankle. He cursed and watched as the titan approached him, its speed also quickening and he glared in determination. The reused the arrow once again and ignored the pain in his foot.

He twirled in the air and sliced through flesh again and again until finally only one titan was left, for the moment at least. His breath was shallow and he knew he didn't have much strength left to fight these beasts. He grabbed the second arrow, the first one broke after its reuse, and aimed it at the titan. He had been hidden in the trees for quite some time and he felt the panic return that he hadn't felt in a while. It was when he had killed the first colossus and was beaten and nearly destroyed himself. His wounds were great and life threatening but once he woke in the temple, his wounds were gone and his strength had returned. He had been healed completely as if nothing had happened.

His ankle was just fine after about half an hour of fighting and dodging titans. It was irregular, useful, but irregular. So when he aimed the bow, he aimed at the neck. He wasn't going to kill it with his sword right away, he would wound it with his bow and the shot had to be perfect. His right coil of cord in his ODM gear was hooked to his sword, which was currently planted in a tree, while his left coil of cord was attached to this arrow. He aimed and shot the arrow. It sliced straight through the titan's neck, closer to the flesh that needed to be removed, and he flew along with it. His bow was switched with his knife and as the titan recoiled from the impact, he sliced the remaining flesh to kill it and with enough speed, slammed the lever and the arrow's cord detached and he flew back to the tree he had been in.

As the titan fell, he held the cord that was attached to his sword with both hands and stretched his legs out to stop the impact of hitting the tree. His plan worked perfectly and he climbed the cord and returned to the branch of the tree. He eased the sword out of the tree, which proved to be quite the challenge, and sheathed it. His breathing was heavy and he sat down on the branch and a laugh escaped his lips. Wander felt for the first time, relief. Slowly he climbed down the tree and out of habit whistled for his horse. He stopped and shook his head.

The horse had to be long gone now, but as he began to walk he heard to clomping of hooves and he turned in disbelief. There stood the brown stallion and he let out a grateful laugh. He shook his head and rubbed the horse's muzzle. He grinned and shook his head. "Agro," he whispered and the horse whinnied. A sudden sense of déjà vu enveloped him.


	11. Chapter 11

To find out that the horse was as loyal as his original horse brought back bitter sweet memories to the lone hunter. The heavy breaths that blew from the horse's nose and the sound of the horse's powerful hooves pounding into the dirt lulled the ex-scout to a half conscious state. His lungs still burnt from the dangerous exercising and his arms were sore from his bow's tight drawstring. Ironically enough, the horse was taking the name Agro quite well, making him laugh inwardly at the circumstance.

In a fit of frustration, he had made his way out of Trost's walls and into the titan infested area. His destination led to the next colossus, unknown to him, and he had been travelling for three hours. The night sky had shone out and he watched the stars through the thick trees. Wander's head rested gently on the horse's neck and the soft hairs tickled his nose.

The duo passed a small clearing and he gently ushered the horse towards it. It reminded him of the small oasis's he and the original Agro used to rest from colossus to colossus. The young man slowly dismounted the brown stallion and dragged himself to the small pond. His eyes were blurry from lack of sleep, but he didn't trust the night, nor the amount of titans that wandered through the grounds he walked on.

So, Wander eased himself into the pond and watched the waves of dirt ripple through the cold water. He watched as the horse grazed the pond's perimeter for grass. The slayer took the moment to relax his sore body and let the water soak him through. His gaze remained on the forest, he strained to hear the titan's footsteps, but all was quiet. "I wonder how long it will take," he said, after a long moment of silence. The horse looked up and then continued grazing. He smiled gently, but his face eventually grew stern again and he sighed.

He sunk his head into the water and shut his eyes, holding his breath and listening to the dulled sounds from above.

_The water was still and he treaded it carefully, watching the black being bellow him glide through the deep lake with ease. It slithered like a snake and he watched as it eyed him. _Do colossus eat humans?_ He thought nervously to himself, but shook away the childish thought, _no they simply kill intruders._ And he knew for sure he was of that title. He began to swim more towards the center of the lake and away from the safe surface. _

_All the while, he watched the eel's brilliant blue eyes follow him as he swam. _A child's worst nightmare is what I am rehearsing_. He watched in a mixture of fear and curiosity as the eel made its way higher and higher. To the surface…TO ME!_

_Gasping, he began swimming frantically away from the eel's destination and as he kicked his feet, he felt a strange tingling and heat wave. Turning under the water, he nearly choked as the bright electric current pulsated from the eel's back. He resurfaced and took a deep breath of air, and looked to the eel's location. Fear enveloped him as he looked through the water's deep bellows for the colossus. _

"_Where did it…!" he felt the heat wave drive through him and pain immediately took him. His vision began to darken, but a dull but painful strike to his stomach shook him from losing consciousness. He looked down and as his body slipped from the angled surface, he realized he was on the tail of the eel. The slippery fur was near impossible to grab onto, and he slowly descended down to the water once again. He secured his hand and took a deep breath. The eel plunged into the water and he felt the pressure through his ears. _

_Wander could barely see through the dark waters and he realized that if he let go now, he would surely drown. His only hope was that the eel would rise to the surface. Wander didn't dare pull out his sword for fear of dropping it down the pit of darkness he was currently descending to. As his lungs burnt with undeniable pain, the eel shot upwards and rose to the surface. The slayer breathed a deep breath and felt the pressure leave his chest. _

It moves fast._ He needed to move to the beast's weak point in order to kill it. He carefully raised his sacred sword and the light reflected farther up the eel. He cursed and made his way up the spine, his feet tripping on the demon's wet back, and stared at the colour difference on the fur. It was black by the spike that rose from the eel. He raised an eyebrow and ignored it. Wander made sure the eel was still swimming above the water and turned back to the spike. The muffled blue weak point was barely shining and he clutched the fur beside it. His arm raised high, he felt a sudden bump from the eel and looked up. It was descending and Wander realized with a sinking feeling that the spike he currently was beside would light up with lightning in a second. And in that moment, it did. He flew back and his hand reached out reflexively. _

_He took a deep breath for air, but his lungs were filled with the dirty water instead. Panicking, he sucked more water in and his vision slowly began to dark once again. He wasn't sure what it was from, the lightning from the eel, or the shear amounts of water that was filling his lungs. All he knew was that it was dark and cold. And when he slowly lifted his eyelids open one more time, he stared at the giant blue eyes that bore into him. _

Wander gasped and coughed out the water that had filled his lungs. In a state of panic, he looked around at his surroundings and slowly realized he wasn't in the lake. He wasn't with any eels. And he was slightly safe. His lungs burned and he looked to his horse. It neighed nervously and he realized that he had fallen asleep under the water. Yet, his horse wasn't snorting and kicking at the ground because of that. It was because there was a loud stomping coming from behind him. And he knew exactly what that was.

Fear and adrenaline rushed through him and he wadded quickly through the water and raced to his horse. He mounted with grace and slapped the reins and dug his heels into its side. The horse raised its feet in the air and began galloping through the forest. Wander turned and stared at the titan that burst through the trees. He cursed and the horse's hooves dug into the muddy road. _I have to kill it or it won't leave us._ Wander hissed and grabbed his bow and knocked yet another arrow. _Is this what I have to be facing for every day until the sixteenth dies?! _He growled and shot the arrow to a nearby tree.

His body landed onto the branch and he pulled the arrow from the trunk of the tree. This seemed to be proving as an excellent tactic, but he spoke too soon. As he fired the next shot, his eyes widened when the titan reached out and grabbed the wire…

His body was pulled against his will and he flew towards the gruesome creature, his eyes widening in fear and the thought of what was or could happen in the next moment. Live or die.

"Not today!" He croaked and unclipped the gear. His body fell down, down, down to the ground. His heart was in his throat and it was the only reason he didn't scream. He managed to squirm himself into a position he hoped wouldn't break any of this bones. The ground approached and he landed with a sickening crunch. And then his vision darkened.

The large feet approached him and he felt his vision swirl. His ankle burned from before and he felt his breath catch. So it hadn't fully healed…or maybe it was the fall? He couldn't think properly, in fact he couldn't move properly. His brain was screaming at him to move, but he couldn't. He stood looking at the titan, breathing deeply like a fish out of water.

His vision darkened once again and he reached for his sword in a childish attempt to defend himself. A neighing disrupted his pained thoughts and he groggily turned his head. The horse was galloping towards him, at his head! He felt an urge to move unless he would get trampled and Wander held his breath and rolled the side. Pain erupted in his chest and he groaned. The horse's hooves trampled the mud where he was previously lying on and he watched as its ears lowered as it looked towards him.

_I have no time._ He stood, his legs wobbly, and held his arm raised the sword in his hand. The light shone brightly on the titan's eyes and it stumbled for half a second, but that was all that Wander needed. He raced to his horse and threw himself onto the saddle. He guided the beast to where he knew his ODM gear lay and managed to lower himself far enough to grab it. His bow was hanging on his shoulder, the fall caused the drawstring to burn a long thick line across his arm. Wincing, he shut his eyes, trying to dull out the pain.

Stomping followed him and in a state of blind hope, he managed to get farther and deeper into the dark forest. The trees thickened and the mighty, yet disturbing titan slowed as the trees barred his way. Wander knew at that moment that he was safe, and allowed his horse to slowly stop. He basically fell off the great stallion and his face fell into the cold mud. He breathed deeply, his heart racing and he felt the grit from the dirt stick to his tongue, skin and hair. His body was so over heated he didn't care, the mud was cold.

And then the sound of voices filled his ears, along with the dreaded sound of hooves. That sounded like Scouts. He groaned and sadly realized he hadn't gotten a moment's rest this whole adventure. Grabbing the horse's bit, he brought him into the shadow's and crouched quietly.

"What the hell was that damn thing?!" A panicked voice shouted and Wander strained to hear the conversation. But he didn't need to, because the horses stopped inches from his previous spot.

"I don't care," a woman's voice replied, "I need to rest," she breathed heavily and Wander backed farther into the brush.

"Is it a new type of titan? Made of god damn STONE?!" the man before shouted. "How the hell are we supposed to kill that? I didn't sign up for this shit," he groaned and Wander watched as he lowered himself onto a boulder.

A man appeared from farther behind and snarled at the man and woman, "Yes you did, if there's a new titan out there, we need to kill it and report it to the authorities." He barked at the two and the sound of hooves came from behind them and Wander stifled a gasp at the five bodies that were carried by carriage. His horse whinnied and he pat it gently on the snout, wincing as the Scouts turned to where he was hidden.

From what it looked like, the commander began to approach him. "And what if we die?" the man said and the commander's eyes slowly trailed from directly where Wander sat to the Scout.

"I was thinking the same thing," the commander muttered and then raised his chin. "One of us will have to go back, we can tell them of this discovery and-,"

"So who will do it?" the woman asked. Wander's eyes widened at the realization of what they were talking about. All three scouts looked at each other. The angered man spoke first.

"You guys know I have a wife to get back to," he said, his head hanging low. The woman scoffed.

"I have a husband and three children!" she replied angrily and the commander glared at them.

"You all know what you signed up for when you joined the scouts," he growled and they stared at him. "As commanding officer-,"

"Oh that's bullshit," the man seethed. "Let me guess, you expect to walk away while we fight that damn thing and get _butchered._" The commander lifted his head.

"By my ranking," he replied stoically, "I should be the one who goes to the authorities and-,"

"Sir, you have a higher killing rank than all of us, shouldn't you be the one who stays here with us to fight?" she asked and the commander turned angrily towards her.

"If another one of you interrupt me again, I'll make sure you'll be the ones who fight that damn titan," he shouted and the other man raised his chin.

"You act like you are giving it thought to not return to safety, _sir,_" he growled and the commander glared at the man.

"And why shouldn't I? I'm more use to the Scouts than you idiots," he laughed humorlessly, "you'll die tomorrow anyways!" he yelled angrily and the woman gasped.

"How the hell did you get promoted to a commander?" she whispered fiercely and Wander wondered the same thing. A commander who doesn't believe in his team is a bad commander no matter how strong they are.

"You people have no idea what I've done to earn this ranking!" he shouted at them and the younger man stood up.

"So we deserve to die like this?" he shouted, "No, I don't believe that's right at all!"

"Officer Ryan, stand down," the commander ordered and Ryan smirked.

"No thanks, I think I'll stand up asshole," he growled and pulled out one of his swords.

"Ryan stop!" the young woman shouted and he snarled.

"Shut up, Sarah, I'm not dying like this," he hissed and she lowered her hands over her face.

"Please stop," she whispered and the commander raised both his swords at the officer.

"Stand down officer," he threatened and this Ryan snorted.

"Like you could make me. Sarah and I are going home to our families today, commander. You're not stopping us," he shouted and the officer pointed the sword threateningly at the commander. "We're getting on that carriage and going _home. _So move." The commander didn't budge.

"You're not getting through, it's my duty to tell the authorities." He replied and Ryan's face reddened.

"Move it." He growled and the commander raised his chin.

"You'll have to kill me. This news is vital and must be delivered with haste." Ryan charged, his sword aiming critically at the commander, in short, he was aiming to kill. Wander realized with dread why the commander was a commander as he easily butchered through Ryan. A scream erupted through the woman and the commander's eyes were wide with horror and greed. "You realize Sarah, that people all die in the battlefield, people lose their husbands…and their wives," he muttered and approached her. Wander could barely keep up with what had just happened. He was alive and then eh wasn't. Not only that, but the commander killed him without even once hesitating. What in the gods' names was going on here?

Sarah fumbled for her swords, but Wander was moving in a flash. His sword raised to the man's chin and he stopped. Sarah stared at him through bloodshot eyes and a snot covered nose. She was crying in fear. Wander quickly slashed the sword across the man's throat and the woman screamed. She raised her sword shakily to him and he lowered his weapon.

"Bring the fallen home, tell the truth about the commander." He ordered her, "But I ask you a favour," he told her and she took a shaky breath.

"I'm listening," she whispered and he looked straight into her eyes.

"You will not tell the authorities about my presence here," he said loud and clear. "Nor will you bring the commander back. He doesn't deserve to be rewarded for such cowardice," he muttered fiercely while staring at the commander's body. "And lastly, where was this titan?" he questioned her and she stared at him in shock.

"Who are you?" she asked and he smiled as the horse exited the trees shadows and whinnied.

"I'm just a wanderer," he replied.

The woman told him that the titan was smaller than most titans and looked more like an animal than an actual titan. When asked what she could describe the animal as, she told him a mixture of a cat and a bull. It killed their men easily and she warned him not to go, but he merely smiled at her. The last thing she said was she took down a number of titans before they left.

"They surrounded where he was, like they were guarding him," she told him and he remember asking about how many she killed. She shuddered and shook her head. "I was able to take down five, Ryan took down two, the commander killed one, Jon killed three before he…" she trailed off and then wiped her eyes. "And the other four managed to kill one," she replied. We had to pull out with the last two and that stoned titan," she shook her head. But at least we took down a number of them," she added.

Wander had nodded numbly and reminded her to keep his identity and whereabouts a secret, which she promised. Away she went with the carriage, holding the bodies of her allies. She had left the cowardly commander's body at Wander's feet and he remembered what he would be facing. The bull.

As the horse galloped across the ground, he felt relieved to have had those scouts take care of the titans around the colossus. Maybe those ones were linked to that colossus? He could only hope for such luck. The horse continued its strong speed, and as they approached closer and closer to the second colossus they had encountered, Wander felt nervous. And hoped to the heavens that he would live to see the next one.


End file.
